Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC

Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lowered its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,397 shares of the company’s stock after selling 192 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Lithia Motors worth $22,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LAD. HighVista Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,906,000. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 71.9% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 22,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,035,000 after buying an additional 9,265 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $967,000. Concentric Capital Strategies LP acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,210,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth approximately $211,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 58,067 shares of company stock valued at $20,933,294. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Finally, 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.60.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $384.33 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.36 and a beta of 1.65. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $343.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.24%.

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.