Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires 3,313 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 46.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,496 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,313 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 80.2% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew 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 valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the first quarter valued at approximately $114,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $283.90 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $231.36 and a 52-week high of $331.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a fifty day moving average of $276.67 and a 200-day moving average of $271.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $10.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.89 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,021 shares of company stock worth $6,534,617 in the last three months. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on LAD. Guggenheim raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $326.00.

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.