Zacks Research Boosts Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for Lithia Motors in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $9.48 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $8.95. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q4 2027 earnings at $14.21 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $47.46 EPS.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.76%. The business had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.6%

LAD opened at $249.74 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $288.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $309.95. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $239.78 and a fifty-two week high of $360.55. The company has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $265,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 87.2% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 225.5% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Arwa LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $467,000.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.85%.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.