Metis Global Partners LLC Sells 94 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Metis Global Partners LLC lessened its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 8.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 975 shares of the company’s stock after selling 94 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $310,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.4% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,084,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.4% during the 1st quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 1,018 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 26.6% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 57,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,233,000 after acquiring an additional 12,035 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 23.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,394 shares of company stock valued at $16,688,879. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $373.74 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $321.72 and its 200-day moving average is $286.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $388.36.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

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.