Mirabella Financial Services LLP Purchases Shares of 3,016 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Mirabella Financial Services LLP bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,077,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Mariner LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business'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 value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD traded up $0.37 on Friday, reaching $292.54. 508,173 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 314,307. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The stock has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $306.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $340.59. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 6.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $356.55.

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.