Invesco Ltd. Has $40.91 Million Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Invesco Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 30.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 114,461 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,740 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $40,912,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,436,000 after buying an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 3,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $283.16 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 9.54, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $317.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $341.50.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.