Egerton Capital UK LLP Invests $113.25 Million in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 316,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $113,250,000. Lithia Motors comprises about 1.3% of Egerton Capital UK LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Egerton Capital UK LLP owned approximately 1.19% of Lithia Motors as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at $248,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 120.7% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,445,000 after acquiring an additional 2,488 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,000 after buying an additional 839 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4,888.2% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $292.49 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.85, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $354.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $342.00.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced 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 net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.