Blue Trust Inc. Buys 66 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 200 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 66 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $64,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $749,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 39.0% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,434,000 after purchasing an additional 4,133 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 19,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,758,000 after purchasing an additional 10,920 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $339.91 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $9.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $302.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $276.25. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $236.16 and a one year high of $347.60.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.62 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.80.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,541 shares of company stock worth $9,390,606 in the last quarter. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.