Wellington Management Group LLP Grows Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,528 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $152,752,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company's stock worth $129,398,000 after purchasing an additional 55,142 shares during the last quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $113,250,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $91,190,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $290.90. 179,000 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,656. The company has a market cap of $7.65 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $321.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $342.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued 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 of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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 restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Five 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, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $365.91.

About Lithia Motors

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.