Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 48.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,065 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,294 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,197,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company's stock worth $256,621,000 after purchasing an additional 203,543 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,609,000 after purchasing an additional 87,362 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $26,071,000.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 directly owns 207,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,408,369.28. This represents a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 58,067 shares of company stock worth $20,933,294 over the last quarter. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock traded up $0.98 during trading on Friday, hitting $377.87. The stock had a trading volume of 153,327 shares, compared to its average volume of 261,510. The stock has a market cap of $10.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 1.65. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $346.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $296.79. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $357.60.

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.