Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Invests $709,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $709,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.6% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 106.2% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.1% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Citigroup upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $317.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $380.11.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of LAD stock opened at $297.93 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.10 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $318.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.21 earnings per share. The business’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 fiscal year.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

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

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.