Brave Warrior Advisors LLC reduced its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 823,982 shares of the company's stock after selling 58,926 shares during the quarter. Lithia Motors accounts for approximately 6.5% of Brave Warrior Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC owned approximately 2.99% of Lithia Motors worth $271,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,807,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $829,112,000 after acquiring an additional 10,649 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 10.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 492,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $145,383,000 after purchasing an additional 45,977 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $123,976,000. Cadian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at about $105,370,000. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 262,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,470,000 after buying an additional 31,670 shares in the last quarter.
Lithia Motors Stock Performance
NYSE LAD traded down $5.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $251.75. The stock had a trading volume of 283,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 236,251. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $231.36 and a 52-week high of $331.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $261.95 and a 200 day moving average of $283.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.62.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Lithia Motors Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.26%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors
In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
LAD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $270.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Craig Hallum lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Thursday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $319.45.
View Our Latest Analysis on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Company Profile
(Free Report)
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.
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