FY2025 EPS Estimates for Lithia Motors Boosted by Analyst

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) - Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lifted their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Lithia Motors in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, January 16th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $35.77 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $34.73. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors' current full-year earnings is $29.42 per share.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on LAD. Benchmark started coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $6.76 during trading on Monday, hitting $351.33. 301,973 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 230,324. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99, a PEG ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $321.07.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 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 21.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period.

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.