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

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 889.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,336 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,100 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 38,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,523,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 4,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $6,072,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 2,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,659,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $260.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.18, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $205.97 and a one year high of $331.96. The company’s fifty day moving average is $289.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $284.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.11 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The business’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.05 EPS. Analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 35.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 9th were given 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 dividend yield of 0.77%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $336.90.

Lithia Motors Company 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.