37,194 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Bought by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 37,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,294,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.14% of Lithia Motors at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company's stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock worth $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company's stock worth $74,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company's stock worth $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $731,000.

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Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded down $4.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $298.08. The company had a trading volume of 214,249 shares, compared to its average volume of 294,089. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. 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 has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $348.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $341.82.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

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.