Lithia Motors FY2025 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for 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 post earnings of $35.28 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $35.06. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q4 2025 earnings at $7.88 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $9.98 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $9.76 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $11.01 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $11.38 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $43.72 EPS.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.38 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.42%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.21 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on LAD. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $410.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $327.00 to $358.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. 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. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $392.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE LAD opened at $339.06 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 1.18. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $262.10 and a 52 week high of $405.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $323.26 and a 200-day moving average of $321.49.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AGP Franklin LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,434,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.6% in the second quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,810 shares in the company, valued at $651,600. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 6.37%.

Key Headlines Impacting Lithia Motors

Here are the key news stories impacting Lithia Motors this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised a string of quarterly and full‑year EPS estimates across FY2025–FY2027 (including Q4 2025, Q4 2026, Q1–Q2 2027 and FY2027), pushing FY2027 to $43.72 from $42.96 and lifting several quarterly forecasts — signaling higher expected earnings power and supporting a higher implied valuation. (Source: Zacks Research)
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on LAD from $327 to $358 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating — the higher target provides concrete upside in analyst coverage even though the rating remains neutral. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage note picked up by American Banking News reiterates a Wells Fargo view that LAD shares are expected to rise, increasing visibility among investors. Lithia Motors Stock Price Expected to Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent MSN teardown compared Lithia to other vehicle retailers (Q3 review). Useful for competitive/sector context but not a direct catalyst. Vehicle retailer stocks Q3 teardown

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.