Zacks Research Forecasts Reduced Earnings for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Zacks Research cut their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for Lithia Motors in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 7th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $8.74 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $9.44. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q4 2025 earnings at $7.71 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $32.72 EPS.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.11 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $306.54 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $295.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $339.73. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.68.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1.5% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.93%.

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.