Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Acquired by Chicago Capital LLC

Chicago Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 1.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 217,102 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the quarter. Lithia Motors accounts for approximately 1.9% of Chicago Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Chicago Capital LLC owned 0.79% of Lithia Motors worth $68,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 1st quarter valued at about $114,000.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:LAD traded down $1.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $313.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 144,369 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,199. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $296.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $231.36 and a 12 month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $10.91 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $338.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $337.70.

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.