Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 100 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,979 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,505,000. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,311,000 after buying an additional 120,749 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 105,611 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,204,000 after buying an additional 85,579 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,071,000.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $295.39 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $349.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $341.83. The firm has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. 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%.

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.