FY2025 EPS Estimates for Lithia Motors Increased by Analyst

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn raised their FY2025 EPS estimates for Lithia Motors in a report released on Sunday, April 20th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $36.46 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $35.64. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $296.40 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $310.53 and a 200-day moving average of $341.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, 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 worth $433,724. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter.

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.