EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 109 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 489 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LAD. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,785.7% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $160,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $2.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $256.34. 202,078 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 244,132. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.71 and a 1-year high of $331.96. The company has a market cap of $7.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $271.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $284.25.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). The business had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.44 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.78 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target 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. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.55.

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.