Seaport Res Ptn Raises Earnings Estimates for Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn boosted their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Lithia Motors in a note issued to investors on Thursday, January 16th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $35.77 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $34.73. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $29.25 per share.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

LAD has been the topic of several other reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.2 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $353.06 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $367.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.83. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at $69,778,000. The trade was a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 22.9% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 70,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,774,000 after purchasing an additional 13,126 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $731,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $248,000.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.