Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $1.40 Million Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,917 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $281.31 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $334.52 and its 200-day moving average is $343.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Company 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.