MML Investors Services LLC Sells 145 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

MML Investors Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 145 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in 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 valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 203,543 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,311,000 after acquiring an additional 120,749 shares during the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% in the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,187,000 after purchasing an additional 105,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,609,000 after purchasing an additional 87,362 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD opened at $364.05 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $363.32 and a 200 day moving average of $308.00. The stock has a market cap of $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.42, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during 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%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.25 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on LAD. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.