Zacks Research Boosts Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their FY2024 earnings estimates for Lithia Motors in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 6th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates 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.

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

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on LAD. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded Lithia Motors from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock traded up $11.47 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $382.84. 451,298 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 259,354. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $310.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $281.46. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $388.36. The company has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of Lithia Motors 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,235 shares of company stock valued at $9,301,973. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth $80,000.

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.