Boston Partners Sells 3,099 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Boston Partners reduced its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 6.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,617 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,099 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $15,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 114.6% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 106.2% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE LAD opened at $299.29 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.10 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $317.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.26. The stock has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.29.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.97. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.42% and a net margin of 2.39%.The company had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 26th that permits the company to repurchase $750.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, September 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $383.10.

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.