SG Americas Securities LLC Has $367,000 Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 63.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,026 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,798 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 9,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,253,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $46,505,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.6 %

LAD stock opened at $366.22 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $364.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $328.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five equities 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was 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 approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This represents a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,770 shares of company stock worth $15,103,607. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

About Lithia Motors

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.