Leonteq Securities AG Increases Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Leonteq Securities AG increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 570.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,386 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,285 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 111.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 101.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $42,000.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total transaction of $83,329.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.64, for a total transaction of $50,430.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,681 shares in the company, valued at $513,780.84. This trade represents a 8.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 782 shares of company stock worth $229,572. 1.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $307.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a PE ratio of 10.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $288.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $295.74. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $239.78 and a fifty-two week high of $360.55.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.49%. The firm had revenue of $9.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, May 26th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 7.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 8.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Bank of America cut their target price on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $368.11.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.