Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 100 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,979 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Forge First Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $1,901,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 501 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 82.7% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,055 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 4,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,449,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction 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 represents a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE LAD opened at $295.39 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $349.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $341.83. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

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.