Harfst & Associates Inc. Cuts Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Harfst & Associates Inc. decreased its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,323 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,463 shares during the quarter. Lithia Motors makes up 2.3% of Harfst & Associates Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Harfst & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Lithia Motors worth $10,838,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted 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 valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on LAD shares. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. 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 business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was 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 directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $0.41 during trading on Friday, hitting $344.10. The company had a trading volume of 379,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 381,080. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $360.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $340.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors 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 0.62%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

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.