Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC decreased its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 79.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,351 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,210 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $429,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,390,000 after purchasing an additional 217,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,621,000 after buying an additional 203,543 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,311,000 after acquiring an additional 120,749 shares in the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% in the 3rd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,187,000 after acquiring an additional 105,611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,609,000 after acquiring an additional 87,362 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596 in the last three months. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $357.00 on Thursday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $356.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $304.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Stephens lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.60.

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.