Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Purchased by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,031 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 15.3% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.0% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 68,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,742,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $348,000.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $289.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.74, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $340.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.91.

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.