Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,581 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,464 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LAD. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded up $4.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $380.62. The stock had a trading volume of 246,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,879. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.67. The firm's 50 day moving average is $349.55 and its 200-day moving average is $299.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85, a P/E/G ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 1.65.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 7.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $357.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 23.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This represents a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 58,067 shares of company stock worth $20,933,294. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

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.