Tectonic Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Tectonic Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 985 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $352,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC grew 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 valued at $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 27.5% during the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company's stock worth $115,997,000 after acquiring an additional 78,784 shares during the period. Tensile Capital Management LP lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 261,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,071,000 after acquiring an additional 6,252 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 43.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 230,761 shares of the company's stock worth $73,299,000 after purchasing an additional 69,901 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $357.40.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 11,627 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $4,534,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 181,187 shares in the company, valued at $70,662,930. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 22,924 shares of company stock valued at $8,975,642 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD traded down $4.22 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $370.39. The stock had a trading volume of 110,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 390,997. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $9.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $363.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $331.82.

Lithia Motors 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.