Sapient Capital LLC Takes $459,000 Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $459,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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 raised its position in Lithia Motors by 509.5% in 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 during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% during 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 during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $318.55.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $253.48 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.59. The business’s 50-day moving average is $279.52 and its 200 day moving average is $283.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.69 and a 12 month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 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 15.62%. The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.44 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 32.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

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.