Red Spruce Capital LLC Grows Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Red Spruce Capital LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,100 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 905 shares during the period. Lithia Motors makes up 1.4% of Red Spruce Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Red Spruce Capital LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,997,000 after purchasing an additional 78,784 shares in the last quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 261,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,071,000 after purchasing an additional 6,252 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 43.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 230,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,299,000 after buying an additional 69,901 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD stock opened at $353.06 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $321.83. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.40.

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.