First Eagle Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 71.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,518 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,700 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $2.07 during trading on Thursday, reaching $304.66. 142,960 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 294,223. The company's 50 day moving average is $346.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a PE ratio of 10.26, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $371.36.

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.