Fulton Bank N.A. Sells 200 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Fulton Bank N.A. reduced its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,296 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.3% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 26.6% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 57,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,233,000 after purchasing an additional 12,035 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.2% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 93,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,469,000 after purchasing an additional 10,141 shares during the period. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 89.0% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 15,083 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,537,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE LAD traded up $3.09 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $279.85. 401,025 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 251,927. The company has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $231.36 and a 1-year high of $331.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $258.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.35.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The business had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 2.52%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $10.91 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 27.62 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Craig Hallum dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $317.40.

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.