Quadrature Capital Ltd Invests $3.12 Million in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 9,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,122,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LAD. Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,785.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $147,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $160,000.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $1.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $258.10. 286,773 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 250,968. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.62, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $264.08 and its 200-day moving average is $283.80. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $231.36 and a 52-week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $8.44 EPS. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.26%.

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.