Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 10,118 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1,062.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,070 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,118 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.1%

Lithia Motors stock opened at $276.79 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $267.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $298.84. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $239.78 and a fifty-two week high of $360.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.49%. The business had revenue of $9.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.66 EPS. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.26 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 8.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $326.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total transaction of $72,186.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $543,905.44. This trade represents a 11.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.