Logan Capital Management Inc. Has $15.28 Million Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Logan Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,244 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,653 shares during the quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Lithia Motors worth $15,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 10,136,710.0% in the first quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 2,027,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,112,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,342 shares in the last quarter. Park West Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 1st quarter worth about $58,825,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,840.6% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 181,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,359,000 after acquiring an additional 172,410 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,824,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,267,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,053,000 after acquiring an additional 72,980 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, September 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.33.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.05, for a total transaction of $75,020.80. Following the sale, the director owned 1,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $403,236.80. This trade represents a 15.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $321.68 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of 9.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $323.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $317.17. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.10 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.97. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.42%. The company had revenue of $9.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.21 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 6.37%.

Lithia Motors declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 26th that allows the company to repurchase $750.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company’s Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.