Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Purchased by Consolidated Planning Corp

Consolidated Planning Corp raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 55.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,891 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares during the period. Consolidated Planning Corp’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,204,000 after acquiring an additional 85,579 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 27.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the third quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 261,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,071,000 after acquiring an additional 6,252 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 43.5% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 230,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,299,000 after acquiring an additional 69,901 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $385.63 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $363.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $333.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,696,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at $69,778,000. This represents a 3.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,611 shares of company stock worth $7,716,702 in the last ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, 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 note on Friday, January 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.40.

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.