D.A. Davidson & CO. Decreases Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 90.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,383 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,321 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 25.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,621,000 after buying an additional 203,543 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 85,579 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 78,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.1% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,756,000 after buying an additional 5,390 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $2.33 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $382.00. 263,387 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 262,460. The business's 50 day moving average is $344.81 and its 200-day moving average is $296.23. The company has a market capitalization of $10.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.36 and a beta of 1.65. 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 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % 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 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus 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.