Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd Takes Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 175,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,409,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hook Mill Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth about $29,130,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 57.5% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 197,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,691,000 after buying an additional 72,061 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 6,341.6% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 57,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,157,000 after buying an additional 56,567 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 42.0% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 187,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,514,000 after purchasing an additional 55,631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 175.6% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 81,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,727,000 after purchasing an additional 51,873 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total value of $72,186.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $543,905.44. This represents a 11.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.8%

LAD stock opened at $276.79 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $239.78 and a 52 week high of $360.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $298.91.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.49%. The company had revenue of $9.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.66 EPS. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $367.22.

Lithia Motors Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.