Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Acquired by V Square Quantitative Management LLC

V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 33.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 146 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $52,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Creative Planning raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth $327,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth $212,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 34,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,851,000 after buying an additional 3,263 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $380.41 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $10.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $363.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.38.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 7.24%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 11,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $4,534,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 181,187 shares in the company, valued at $70,662,930. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,339 shares of company stock worth $7,997,621. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Benchmark started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $362.50.

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.