Q1 EPS Estimates for Lithia Motors Raised by Zacks Research

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Zacks Research increased their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a report released on Wednesday, February 26th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings of $7.98 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $7.97. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q3 2025 earnings at $9.44 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $7.31 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $9.18 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $9.03 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $9.92 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $43.24 EPS.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $344.27 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 50 day simple moving average of $360.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $339.67. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $426,968,000 after buying an additional 27,035 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,204,000 after buying an additional 85,579 shares during the period. Lyrical Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 510,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $182,428,000 after buying an additional 11,674 shares during the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 137.8% during the fourth quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 460,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,524,000 after acquiring an additional 266,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth approximately $152,752,000.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 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.