Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp cut its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,027 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,348 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.06% of Lithia Motors worth $6,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 11,627 shares of Lithia Motors 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 181,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,662,930. This trade represents a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,339 shares of company stock valued at $7,997,621. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $380.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $363.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $336.38. The firm 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. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders 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 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. 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. Benchmark started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Stephens boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $362.50.

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.