Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Has $428,000 Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,198 shares of the company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $326.26 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The company’s 50-day moving average is $295.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $339.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $8.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.11 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.93%.

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.