Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Acquires 78 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,440 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 4,888.2% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 831 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $785,000 after buying an additional 839 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 43.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 230,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,299,000 after buying an additional 69,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Strategies Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $503,000.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,081 shares of company stock valued at $15,429,939. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $376.11 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $316.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $283.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $388.36.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 7.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LAD shares. Citigroup increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

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.