Bristlecone Advisors LLC Has $751,000 Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Bristlecone Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 78.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,365 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 19,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,758,000 after buying an additional 10,920 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at $607,000. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 89.0% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 203,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,318,000 after purchasing an additional 20,416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,434,000 after purchasing an additional 4,133 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $333.10 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.88 and a 52-week high of $341.84. The stock has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $299.91 and its 200-day moving average is $275.20. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.62 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This represents a 0.00 % 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, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 31,541 shares of company stock valued at $9,390,606. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.80.

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.