Invesco Ltd. Decreases Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Invesco Ltd. lowered its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 30.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,461 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,740 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.43% of Lithia Motors worth $40,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock worth $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company's stock worth $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,534 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $357.82.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company's 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 $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 3.0 %

NYSE:LAD traded down $8.61 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $279.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 126,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 311,915. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $314.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $341.60. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

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.