Seaport Res Ptn Forecasts Higher Earnings for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn boosted their Q1 2025 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 $7.71 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $7.30. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q2 2025 earnings at $8.28 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.23 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.25 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $41.68 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on LAD. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD stock opened at $278.14 on Tuesday. 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 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.68. The stock has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19.

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

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last 90 days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.