580 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Purchased by Journey Strategic Wealth LLC

Journey Strategic Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 25.4% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at about $211,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $975,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $897,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 7,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,369,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $366.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $9.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $364.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $328.32. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67.

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.