California Public Employees Retirement System Has $12.57 Million Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 13.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,161 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,277 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.13% of Lithia Motors worth $12,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,917 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,400,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $152,752,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $12,063,000. Bridge City Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 21,180 shares of the company's stock worth $7,570,000 after acquiring an additional 1,586 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 4,049 shares of the company's stock worth $1,447,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded down $19.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $284.49. 75,047 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 309,875. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $326.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $342.56. The firm has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.57, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business'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 transaction of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % 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. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $365.91.

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.