Financial Strategies Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Financial Strategies Group Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,704 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $582,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LAD. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 25.4% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at $211,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $975,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at $897,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 7,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,369,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This represents a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,770 shares of company stock worth $15,103,607. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE LAD opened at $376.19 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $365.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $327.59.

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.