Moran Wealth Management LLC Sells 595 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,376 shares of the company’s stock after selling 595 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Lithia Motors worth $7,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $731,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $248,000.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 3.6 %

LAD opened at $293.90 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $355.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 9.90, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LAD. Evercore ISI increased 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. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

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.