Lithia Motors FY2025 EPS Estimate Raised by Seaport Res Ptn

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn boosted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research note issued on Sunday, April 20th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings of $36.46 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $35.64. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors' current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 4.4 %

LAD stock opened at $296.40 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.99, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $310.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $341.11.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 71.0% during the first quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,185 shares of the company's stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,421 shares of the company's stock worth $711,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,120 shares of the company's stock valued at $915,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 0.5% in the first quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 214,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,073,000 after acquiring an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 6.4% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,042 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 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.

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