5,320 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Acquired by Forge First Asset Management Inc.

Forge First Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,320 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,901,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versor Investments LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $731,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $248,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $292.49 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $354.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $342.00. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 9.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five research 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, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $371.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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