Consolidated Planning Corp Invests $590,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Consolidated Planning Corp purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $590,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company's stock worth $429,390,000 after acquiring an additional 217,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the second 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 last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second 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 during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 27.5% in the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,997,000 after purchasing an additional 78,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 7.2% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company's stock worth $218,981,000 after buying an additional 48,938 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,235 shares of company stock valued at $9,301,973 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $2.87 on Friday, hitting $371.36. The company had a trading volume of 192,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 296,044. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $375.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $310.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $281.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on LAD. Citigroup lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $353.80.

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.