Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,622 shares of the company’s stock after selling 274 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,672,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 80.2% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth about $114,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $338.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $307.19 on Thursday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $231.36 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $287.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $272.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a PE ratio of 9.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.91 EPS. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

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