Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD Stock Holdings Lessened by Madison Asset Management LLC

Madison Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,015 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,789 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC owned 1.10% of Lithia Motors worth $89,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LAD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 67.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 113,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,272,000 after buying an additional 45,716 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 16.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 93,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,349,000 after buying an additional 13,407 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 9.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD opened at $327.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $334.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $320.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $262.10 and a 1 year high of $405.14. The stock has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.47 and a beta of 1.20.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $651,600. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on LAD. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $327.00 to $358.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.70.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.