Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2027 EPS estimates for Lithia Motors in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, March 27th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $45.22 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $43.24. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share.

LAD has been the topic of several other research reports. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.2 %

LAD stock opened at $289.16 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $340.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $343.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 9.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,579 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 15.3% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.0% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 68,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,742,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.0% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

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.