KBC Group NV Boosts Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,051 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD opened at $376.19 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $365.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $327.59. The stock has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Benchmark began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This trade represents a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607 in the last ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.