Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 36.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,345 shares of the company's stock after selling 66,234 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.44% of Lithia Motors worth $41,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on LAD shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $1.70 on Friday, hitting $290.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 514,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,436. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $322.99 and a 200-day moving average of $342.47. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The company has a market capitalization of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.