MetLife Investment Management LLC Buys 1,181 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,009 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of Lithia Motors worth $5,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last ninety days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $2.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $288.80. 134,580 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,440. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.68. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $303.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $340.90.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.11 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

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.