Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stake Increased by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 362,022 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 55,142 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 1.36% of Lithia Motors worth $129,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in 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. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake 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 buying an additional 42 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on 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 Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. 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 note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $306.60 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $346.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $341.56.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

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.