Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Reduces Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lessened its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,982 shares of the company’s stock after selling 499 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 52.0% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $248.19 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.84, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $285.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.10. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.69 and a 12-month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.05 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Saturday, March 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.51%.

Lithia Motors 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.