Jones Financial Companies Lllp Buys 145 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 26.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 697 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $249,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LAD. Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $501,000. Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $298,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $249,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $13,294,000. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 2.3 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $298.50 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $352.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $341.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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