Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock Position Increased by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 24.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,797 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,818 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned 0.18% of Lithia Motors worth $16,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eventide Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 267,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,207,000 after purchasing an additional 20,363 shares during the last quarter. Goodnow Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Goodnow Investment Group LLC now owns 21,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,192,000 after buying an additional 1,370 shares in the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 262,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,470,000 after acquiring an additional 31,670 shares during the last quarter. Cadian Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $105,370,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $3,122,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $319.45.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.9 %

LAD stock opened at $251.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.89 billion, a PE ratio of 7.42, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.62. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.36 and a 1 year high of $331.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $258.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $282.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The company had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.44 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.26%.

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.