California First Leasing Corp Grows Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

California First Leasing Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,779 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,975 shares during the period. Lithia Motors makes up approximately 1.7% of California First Leasing Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. California First Leasing Corp’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $3,220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $325,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 67.2% in the 3rd quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,600,000 after acquiring an additional 2,178 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,454 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 5,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,697,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 52,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,431,000 after acquiring an additional 15,643 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Craig Hallum cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $320.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded up $4.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $262.72. 399,219 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 224,527. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.69 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $283.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $283.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.58.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.59%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.44 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.78 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

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.