Coldstream Capital Management Inc. Invests $223,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Coldstream Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,722,000. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $507,000. Tensile Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the third quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 261,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,071,000 after purchasing an additional 6,252 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 122.1% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 17,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,484,000 after purchasing an additional 9,490 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $381.06 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $355.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $303.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.15 billion, a PE ratio of 13.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on LAD. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’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 value of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.