IFP Advisors Inc Sells 744 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

IFP Advisors Inc lessened its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 25.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,206 shares of the company's stock after selling 744 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $791,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $46,505,000. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company's stock worth $40,311,000 after acquiring an additional 120,749 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% during the 3rd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,187,000 after acquiring an additional 105,611 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,204,000 after acquiring an additional 85,579 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at about $26,071,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD traded down $19.93 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $324.51. 321,521 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,178. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50-day moving average of $360.08 and a 200 day moving average of $340.96. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $371.36.

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.