Zacks Research Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 8th. Zacks Research analyst R. Singhi now expects that the company will post earnings of $7.81 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $8.43. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $32.24 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q2 2025 earnings at $12.12 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $12.41 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $12.49 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $14.09 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $57.85 EPS.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Craig Hallum decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of LAD opened at $264.12 on Friday. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $207.08 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The company has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a PE ratio of 7.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $277.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $282.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.44 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 80.2% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 5.90%.

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.