Chicago Capital LLC Buys 2,666 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Chicago Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 217,102 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the quarter. Lithia Motors comprises about 1.9% of Chicago Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Chicago Capital LLC owned 0.79% of Lithia Motors worth $68,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,390,000 after purchasing an additional 217,867 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 25.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,621,000 after buying an additional 203,543 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,609,000 after acquiring an additional 87,362 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 413.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 65,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,450,000 after acquiring an additional 52,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,981,000 after purchasing an additional 48,938 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $337.70.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $313.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.27, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $231.36 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $296.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.26%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,707.30. This represents a 0.00 % 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. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617 in the last ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Company 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.