Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 9,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,122,000.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,785.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 412 shares of the company's stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at $147,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $160,000.
Lithia Motors Price Performance
Lithia Motors stock traded down $4.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $252.36. 236,199 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 264,715. The company has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.45, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $260.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $283.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.36 and a 12-month high of $331.96.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.44 EPS. Lithia Motors's revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Lithia Motors Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.26%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors
In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $319.45.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lithia Motors
About Lithia Motors
(Free Report)
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.
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