Factorial Partners LLC Decreases Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Factorial Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Factorial Partners LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 48.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $202,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LAD. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE LAD opened at $344.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $360.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $339.67. The stock has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Company 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.