American Century Companies Inc. Trims Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 17.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,228 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,941 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company's stock worth $129,398,000 after purchasing an additional 55,142 shares during the period. Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $113,250,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock worth $82,560,000 after buying an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $91,190,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 237,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,966,000 after buying an additional 3,558 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded down $1.70 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $290.81. 514,559 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 311,745. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $342.28. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $365.91.

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.