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

Citigroup Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,165 shares of the company’s stock after selling 731 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $4,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of 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.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE LAD opened at $387.30 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $341.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $294.81. The stock has a market cap of $10.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a P/E/G ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 58,067 shares of company stock valued at $20,933,294. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.60.

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.