Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 95,899 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,261 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.36% of Lithia Motors worth $29,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the second quarter worth approximately $80,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $3.29 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $360.29. 363,105 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 262,627. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $357.84 and its 200 day moving average is $304.57. The stock has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.30, a P/E/G ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.25 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $357.60.

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.