Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Reduces Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,885 shares of the company’s stock after selling 519 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $981,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LAD. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at $114,000.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.5 %

LAD opened at $279.51 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $231.36 and a one year high of $331.96. The company has a market cap of $7.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.19. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $276.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. The business had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $10.91 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $326.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.