Brookstone Capital Management Purchases Shares of 2,420 Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Brookstone Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $604,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LAD. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 111.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 101.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total transaction of $72,186.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,846 shares in the company, valued at $543,905.44. The trade was a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director owned 760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $213,233.20. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 782 shares of company stock worth $229,572. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $326.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $348.00 price objective on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.11.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.6%

LAD opened at $291.99 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $239.78 and a fifty-two week high of $360.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $287.58 and a 200-day moving average of $297.38.

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

Lithia Motors announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 26th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 7.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 8.01%.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.