Values First Advisors Inc. Sells 377 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Values First Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,503 shares of the company’s stock after selling 377 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,054,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.5% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,510,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on LAD. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $336.40.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:LAD traded down $2.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $300.86. 285,813 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 204,011. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.97 and a 52 week high of $331.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.29, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $294.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $286.62.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.05 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 35.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

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.