Creative Planning Purchases 85 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Creative Planning raised its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,657 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 85 shares during the quarter. Creative Planning’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 61 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during 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. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $350.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $351.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $305.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $278.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.24%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following 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 at the SEC website. In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following 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 at the SEC website. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.