Seaport Res Ptn Lifts Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn increased their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research report issued on Sunday, April 20th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $7.71 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $7.30. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors' current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Lithia Motors' Q2 2025 earnings at $8.28 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.23 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.25 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $41.68 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE LAD traded up $0.37 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $292.54. 508,177 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,081. The firm has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $305.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $341.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $243.04 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 19.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,927 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 95,899 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,261 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in Lithia Motors by 46.9% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 75,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,136,000 after purchasing an additional 24,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's 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.