AGP Franklin LLC Invests $3.72 Million in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

AGP Franklin LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 10,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,718,000. Lithia Motors comprises about 2.3% of AGP Franklin LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $716,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,857 shares of the company's stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $317,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the company's stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded up $5.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $288.27. The company had a trading volume of 255,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,631. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $314.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $341.34. The company has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a PEG 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.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Company 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.