Zacks Research Predicts Higher Earnings for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2027 EPS estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research note issued on Thursday, March 27th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will earn $45.22 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $43.24. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Five 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, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.2 %

LAD opened at $293.24 on Monday. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $339.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $343.49. The firm has a market cap of $7.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $152,752,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,250,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 137.8% in the fourth quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 460,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,524,000 after buying an additional 266,715 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $91,190,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $46,505,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724 in the last quarter. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.