Anomaly Capital Management LP Acquires New Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Anomaly Capital Management LP bought a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 33,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,846,000. Anomaly Capital Management LP owned 0.12% of Lithia Motors as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 1.5 %

LAD opened at $284.36 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The company has a market cap of $7.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $341.42.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last 90 days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.82.

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.