Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,055 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,427,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $807,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $13,306,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $13,294,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price 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 company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.36.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % 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, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.4 %

NYSE LAD opened at $295.39 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $349.24 and a 200-day moving average of $341.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.95, 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 EPS 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, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio 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.