Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $8.22 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $7.96. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q2 2026 earnings at $9.80 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $10.19 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $38.19 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on LAD. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $327.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $410.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $392.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $330.89 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $322.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.47. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $262.10 and a 12-month high of $405.14.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.97. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.42%. The company had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.21 EPS. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 6.37%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,600. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Abrams Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.9% during the third 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 stake in Lithia Motors by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,340,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,662,000 after buying an additional 14,015 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 612,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,873,000 after buying an additional 33,966 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 479,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,022,000 after buying an additional 11,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $148,540,000.

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.