Inspire Advisors LLC Has $1.03 Million Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Inspire Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,056 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 10,136,710.0% in the 1st quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 2,027,362 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,112,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,342 shares during the period. Park West Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the first quarter valued at $58,825,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,840.6% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 181,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,359,000 after purchasing an additional 172,410 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the first quarter valued at about $32,824,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,267,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,053,000 after buying an additional 72,980 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $317.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $410.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $383.10.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of LAD stock opened at $293.84 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.29. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $262.10 and a 1 year high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $314.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $318.58.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $9.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.38 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.42% and a net margin of 2.39%.The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.21 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.37%.

Lithia Motors announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 26th that permits the company to buyback $750.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.