Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $26.22 Million Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Retirement Systems of Alabama cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 73,355 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,629 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned 0.28% of Lithia Motors worth $26,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of LAD opened at $382.76 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $364.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $329.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The company has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This represents a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.