Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1,073.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,770 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,534 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Red Spruce Capital LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 9,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,253,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $202,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth 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. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at $46,505,000. Finally, Sendero Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,875,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of LAD opened at $356.06 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $365.58 and its 200 day moving average is $324.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.67. The company has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607 in the last three months. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.