FourThought Financial Partners LLC Has $682,000 Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

FourThought Financial Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46 shares during the quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after buying an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $731,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 2,534 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $248,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE LAD opened at $345.98 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $360.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $339.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a market cap of $9.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.