Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 160 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. cut its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,312 shares of the company’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $731,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 95,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,261 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,778,000. This represents a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607 over the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Benchmark started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $345.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $365.93 and its 200 day moving average is $323.39.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business 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 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.25 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.