Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Trims Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,717 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,485 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $10,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th 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 valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th 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. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 48.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $316.15 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $358.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $341.38. 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 stock has a market cap of $8.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.