Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $8.28 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $8.22. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ FY2028 earnings at $53.22 EPS.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 EPS 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%. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.79 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on LAD. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $386.00.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $279.72 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $323.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $320.77. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $262.10 and a one year high of $360.55. The stock has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. AGP Franklin LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased 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 purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period.

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.