Coldstream Capital Management Inc. Buys 431 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 41.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,476 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 431 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $486,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.6% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 5,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,479 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 52.0% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,054,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $254.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.51, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $272.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.29. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $229.71 and a one year high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.44 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $285.00 to $270.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.