Swiss National Bank Has $16.99 Million Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Swiss National Bank cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.20% of Lithia Motors worth $16,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the second quarter worth about $80,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $390.95 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $391.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $328.35 and a 200-day moving average of $288.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results 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. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.25 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,698 shares of company stock worth $13,309,244 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. 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, October 24th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $357.60.

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.