Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1,073.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,770 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock opened at $356.06 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $365.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $324.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.15, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $1,258,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 192,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,269,320. This represents a 1.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,770 shares of company stock worth $15,103,607. 1.79% of the stock is owned by 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.