1,393 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Purchased by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 1,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $459,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 509.5% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Craig Hallum reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI started coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $285.00 to $270.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.9 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $253.48 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $279.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $283.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.48, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.59. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.69 and a 52-week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 32.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

About Lithia Motors

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.