Kennedy Capital Management LLC Sells 8,806 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 57,981 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,806 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned 0.22% of Lithia Motors worth $20,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at about $152,752,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $113,250,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,190,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $46,505,000. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,398,000 after buying an additional 55,142 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed 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 increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $365.91.

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Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:LAD traded down $3.62 on Tuesday, reaching $287.36. 61,347 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,205. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $321.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $342.27. The company has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.68, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. 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.