Lithia Motors FY2024 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2024 EPS estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 6th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $28.88 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $28.54. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $29.09 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q1 2025 earnings at $7.78 EPS and Q2 2025 earnings at $9.17 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $370.57 on Monday. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $388.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $314.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $283.10.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.0% in the first quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 11.6% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,524,000 after buying an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth about $316,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Lithia Motors by 11.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 203,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,318,000 after acquiring an additional 20,416 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.