Madison Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $91.19 Million Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 255,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $91,190,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.96% of Lithia Motors as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of LAD opened at $298.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $352.73 and its 200-day moving average is $341.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $371.36.

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.