Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 2,635 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,262 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,635 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $26,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $296.04 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 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. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $337.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $343.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.91.

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.