Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock Position Decreased by Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC

Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC cut its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,608,133 shares of the company's stock after selling 29,770 shares during the period. Lithia Motors accounts for approximately 2.0% of Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC owned 6.04% of Lithia Motors worth $574,795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,204,000 after buying an additional 85,579 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the company's stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,804 shares of the company's stock worth $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 68,448 shares of the company's stock worth $21,742,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $348,000.

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Lithia Motors Trading Down 7.6 %

NYSE LAD traded down $23.32 on Thursday, hitting $282.80. 131,970 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 304,467. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company's 50 day moving average price is $337.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $343.34.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. Analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $365.91.

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.