XTX Topco Ltd Takes $716,000 Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $288.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $315.91 and its 200-day moving average is $341.30. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the 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 owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on LAD shares. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark restated 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 increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five equities research 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 company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.91.

Lithia Motors 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.