Q1 EPS Estimates for Lithia Motors Boosted by Zacks Research

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2027 EPS estimates for Lithia Motors in a note issued to investors on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $9.48 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $8.95. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q4 2027 earnings at $14.21 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $47.46 EPS.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). The business had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.Lithia Motors’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.79 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $246.20 on Monday. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $239.78 and a twelve month high of $360.55. The stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $290.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $310.55.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Abrams Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Abrams Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,490,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $787,009,000 after purchasing an additional 45,856 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,346,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,583,000 after purchasing an additional 6,113 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.6% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 742,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,814,000 after purchasing an additional 186,628 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 612,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,873,000 after purchasing an additional 33,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $148,540,000.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.85%.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.