Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Position Lessened by Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning

Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning decreased its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 34.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 719 shares of the company’s stock after selling 373 shares during the period. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 80.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $114,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $270.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, June 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Guggenheim cut Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $319.45.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $251.70 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $258.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $281.14. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $231.36 and a 52-week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). The company had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The business’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

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

Lithia Motors 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.