Headlands Technologies LLC Buys New Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LAD. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.0% in the first quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.1% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at $13,417,080.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $326.00.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $279.51 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.36 and a 1 year high of $331.96. The firm has a market cap of $7.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a 50-day moving average of $276.03 and a 200 day moving average of $271.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The business had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $10.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.