Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Raises Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 362,022 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 55,142 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 1.36% of Lithia Motors worth $129,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $113,250,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $91,190,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,505,000. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% in the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company's stock worth $34,187,000 after acquiring an additional 105,611 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 4.6 %

NYSE LAD traded up $14.24 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $320.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 319,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 295,534. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $345.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $342.09. 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 $8.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $371.36.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.