Retirement Systems of Alabama Grows Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,367 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.19% of Lithia Motors worth $17,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% in the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $254.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.51, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.58. The company’s 50 day moving average is $281.45 and its 200 day moving average is $283.56. 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 52-week low of $206.69 and a 52-week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.44 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 33.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Craig Hallum reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $320.82.

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.