Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Takes $461,000 Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after buying an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $281.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $334.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $343.74. The firm has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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