Q2 EPS Estimates for Lithia Motors Decreased by Analyst

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $9.17 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $9.40. Zacks Research currently 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’ Q3 2027 earnings at $8.92 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $41.77 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.1%

LAD stock opened at $257.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $239.78 and a 12 month high of $360.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $293.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $312.27.

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

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $265,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 87.2% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 225.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Arwa LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $467,000.

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.