Sage Investment Counsel LLC Invests $298,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 835 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 48.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company's stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.6 %

LAD traded down $1.95 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $316.15. The stock had a trading volume of 745,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 393,681. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The stock's 50 day moving average is $358.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.38. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $371.36.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other 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 of the company's stock, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

About Lithia Motors

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.