887 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Acquired by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,927 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 95,899 shares of the company's stock worth $29,585,000 after buying an additional 2,261 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 46.9% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 75,984 shares of the company's stock worth $24,136,000 after acquiring an additional 24,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded up $0.33 on Friday, reaching $292.50. 367,860 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 313,995. The company has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.85, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $306.73 and a 200 day moving average of $340.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $356.55.

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.