Quantbot Technologies LP Has $2.44 Million Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Quantbot Technologies LP trimmed its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 42.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,217 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,376 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 106.2% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 29.1% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:LAD opened at $328.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $309.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $318.62. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.10 and a fifty-two week high of $405.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.96 billion, a PE ratio of 9.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.18.

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 net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.42%. The firm had revenue of $9.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.21 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 6.37%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on LAD. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $410.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $389.10.

Lithia Motors 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.