Bristlecone Advisors LLC Buys 1,040 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Bristlecone Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 78.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,365 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the second quarter valued at about $80,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $333.10 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $299.91 and its 200-day moving average is $275.20. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.88 and a 1 year high of $341.84. The company has a market capitalization of $9.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.80.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,541 shares of company stock valued at $9,390,606 in the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.