Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock Holdings Boosted by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,274 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $288.27 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $314.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $341.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.91.

About Lithia Motors

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.