2,299 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD Bought by OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 2,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $726,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 114.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $386.00.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $279.72 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $323.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.77. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.10 and a fifty-two week high of $360.55. The firm has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.79 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $651,600. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.