Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $5.87 Million Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 96.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,408 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,041 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $5,865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,844,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 68,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,742,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in Lithia Motors by 4.0% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 523.0% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at $540,000.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $296.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $337.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $343.60. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven 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 $365.91.

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.