Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lowered its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 206,145 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,721 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.77% of Lithia Motors worth $65,480,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock opened at $386.16 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $336.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $292.25. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a PE ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 23.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 58,067 shares of company stock valued at $20,933,294. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens upped 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. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.