First Trust Advisors LP Sells 2,098 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 6.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,198 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,098 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $7,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,062.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,679,000 after purchasing an additional 10,118 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $58,409,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,490,000 after buying an additional 21,168 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 140.7% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,787,000 after buying an additional 6,661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,676,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total transaction of $72,186.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $543,905.44. This represents a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total value of $83,329.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 782 shares of company stock worth $229,572 in the last ninety days. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Weiss Ratings raised Lithia Motors from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $306.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $370.00 to $440.00 in a research note on Thursday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $414.70.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $386.74 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $239.78 and a 1 year high of $439.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $313.76 and its 200-day moving average is $296.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.73 by $1.30. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.16%. The business had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.24 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, May 26th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 7.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.56%.

Lithia Motors News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lithia Motors this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lithia reported quarterly EPS of $10.03, exceeding the $8.73 analyst consensus, while revenue of $9.79 billion also topped estimates. Results benefited from stronger used-vehicle margins, aftersales growth and record financing income despite mixed sales trends. LAD Q2 Earnings Beat on Used Margins and Financing Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its LAD price target from $400 to $475 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying substantial upside from the recent trading level. Lithia Motors Price Target Raised to $475 at Benchmark
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo increased its price target from $306 to $395, reflecting improved expectations, although it retained an “equal weight” rating. Lithia Motors Given New Price Target at Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 per share from $0.57, a 22.8% increase, with the next ex-dividend date scheduled for August 7. Lithia Motors Dividend Increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted LAD as a strong momentum stock, while brokerage consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” indicating generally favorable—but not unanimous—analyst sentiment. Why Lithia Motors Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One post-earnings analysis suggested LAD could be roughly 15% above fair value, raising concerns that the earnings-driven rally may have outpaced the company’s underlying valuation. Lithia Motors Could Be Above Fair Value After Earnings Beat

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.