Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Sells 5,210 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 79.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,351 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,210 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 25.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,621,000 after acquiring an additional 203,543 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company's stock worth $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 27.5% during the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company's stock worth $115,997,000 after purchasing an additional 78,784 shares during the period. Finally, Tensile Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the third quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 261,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,071,000 after purchasing an additional 6,252 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $3.29 during trading on Thursday, reaching $360.29. The company had a trading volume of 363,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 262,627. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The business's 50 day moving average price is $357.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.57. The stock has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Lithia Motors's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.25 EPS. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $357.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.