Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Purchased by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 96.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,408 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,041 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of Lithia Motors worth $5,865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LAD. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth 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. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724 over the last ninety days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. 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. lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.9 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $296.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $337.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $343.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

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.