Arizona State Retirement System Sells 131 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Arizona State Retirement System decreased its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,761 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versor Investments LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 37,677 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $731,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $248,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $305.09 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a PE ratio of 10.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $355.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $341.92.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim upped 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.