Seaport Res Ptn Boosts Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn boosted their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Lithia Motors in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday, April 20th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $36.46 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $35.64. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $278.14 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $308.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $340.68. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The company has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a PE ratio of 9.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724 in the last three months. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

About Lithia Motors

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.