Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,194,539 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,035 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 4.48% of Lithia Motors worth $426,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $288.27 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The business’s 50 day moving average is $314.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.34. The firm has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its 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%. Research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.91.

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.