Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $60.13 Million Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 182,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,574 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $60,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on LAD shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Craig Hallum dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $320.82.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $262.72 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.69 and a 1 year high of $331.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $282.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $283.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.58.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.59%. The company had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 33.17 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.90%.

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.