Natixis Advisors LLC Makes New $26.07 Million Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 82,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,071,000. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.31% of Lithia Motors at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its position 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 worth $429,390,000 after acquiring an additional 217,867 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 203,543 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 118.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company's stock worth $40,609,000 after buying an additional 87,362 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,997,000 after buying an additional 78,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,981,000 after buying an additional 48,938 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded down $2.18 on Tuesday, reaching $371.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 88,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 259,923. The company has a market capitalization of $9.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $388.36. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $321.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $286.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 0.57%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 7.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $353.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,394 shares of company stock worth $16,688,879 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

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.