HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 1,055 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 82.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,330 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,055 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.6% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

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Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE LAD traded up $3.36 on Monday, reaching $293.24. The company had a trading volume of 470,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 304,616. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company's fifty day moving average is $339.00 and its 200 day moving average is $343.49. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % 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 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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.