Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 3,628 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,711,609 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,628 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.18% of Lithia Motors worth $969,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company's stock worth $239,204,000 after acquiring an additional 85,579 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the company's stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Lithia Motors by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,844,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 68,448 shares of the company's stock worth $21,742,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth about $348,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $5.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $302.39. The company had a trading volume of 37,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 304,242. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $337.86 and a 200 day moving average of $343.60. 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 firm has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 10.18, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given 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 0.70%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm's 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 directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Company 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.