Amalgamated Bank Has $4.53 Million Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Amalgamated Bank decreased its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,663 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $4,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Lithia Motors by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Lithia Motors by 2.6% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value 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 approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research 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. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five 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, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $344.10 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $360.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $339.67. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.