Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Acquired by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,922 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,846 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.35% of Lithia Motors worth $33,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LAD. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $113,250,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $91,190,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $46,505,000. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,311,000 after acquiring an additional 120,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% in the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,187,000 after acquiring an additional 105,611 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last quarter. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on LAD shares. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $295.39 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $349.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.83. The firm has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Lithia Motors 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.