Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stake Lessened by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 14.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 56,886 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,869 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $20,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Lithia Motors by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $295.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 9.96, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $341.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $342.10.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors 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 sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.91.

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.