Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Arete Wealth Advisors LLC

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,479 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,102 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.0% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,844,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 68,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,742,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $540,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $211,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction 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 represents a 13.40 % 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, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE LAD opened at $306.29 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $337.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $343.34. The company has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. 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 (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors 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.