Sage Rhino Capital LLC Invests $212,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Sage Rhino Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $324.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 10.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $360.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $340.96. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.