Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Amalgamated Bank

Amalgamated Bank lessened its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 8.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,145 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,499 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $4,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of LAD. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 80.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at about $114,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $299.70 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $231.36 and a twelve month high of $331.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $279.90 and a 200-day moving average of $271.16. The firm has a market cap of $8.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.64.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $10.91 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $326.00.

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