Quadrature Capital Ltd Acquires Shares of 2,266 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $720,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,621,000 after acquiring an additional 203,543 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company's stock worth $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $115,997,000 after purchasing an additional 78,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Lithia Motors by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,756,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on LAD. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five 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, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $357.60.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $377.98. 153,327 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,735. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The business's 50-day moving average is $347.18 and its 200-day moving average is $297.79. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 58,067 shares of company stock valued at $20,933,294 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

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.