XTX Topco Ltd Makes New $716,000 Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the 3rd 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 period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.8 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $288.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $315.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last 90 days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.