Zacks Research Boosts Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

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

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%.

LAD has been the topic of several other reports. 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.2 %

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.