Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,660 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,484 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 0.30% of Lithia Motors worth $27,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LAD. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $160,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $2,535,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $459,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $423,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 514.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 556 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $261.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $288.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.45. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $205.97 and a 12 month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 35.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Saturday, March 9th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 5.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.