Sage Investment Counsel LLC Takes Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $344.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $360.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $339.67. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS 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%. Research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

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.