Talon Private Wealth LLC Acquires New Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Talon Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 111.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 101.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000.

Key Stories Impacting Lithia Motors

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

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Lithia reported record revenue of approximately $9.8 billion, up 2.2% year over year. Adjusted diluted EPS was $10.03, ahead of the roughly $8.67–$8.73 consensus, while reported diluted EPS was $11.54, a 17% increase. Lithia & Driveway second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability indicators improved despite challenging market conditions. Used-vehicle retail gross profit per unit increased $339, or 20%, sequentially. Aftersales gross margin reached 59.2%, up 120 basis points on a same-store basis, while adjusted SG&A as a percentage of gross profit improved by 290 basis points.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns were strengthened. Lithia repurchased $242 million of stock during the quarter—equivalent to 3.7% of shares outstanding—and has repurchased 7.6% of shares in the first half of 2026. The company also raised its quarterly dividend 22.8%, from $0.57 to $0.70 per share. Investors of record on August 7 will receive the dividend on August 21. Lithia Motors reaches record high
• Positive Sentiment: Financing operations delivered record results. The unit generated $37 million in income and $884 million in originations, with a 17.5% penetration rate, adding support to earnings diversification.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock’s rally has pushed it close to its 52-week high, with elevated trading volume. Its valuation remains moderate at roughly 15 times earnings, but the sharp move may increase sensitivity to any earnings disappointment.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader-market conditions were unfavorable as oil prices surged amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions and major indexes sold off ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision. Higher fuel costs, interest rates, or renewed economic concerns could pressure vehicle demand and financing activity. Market sell-off and oil spike

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lithia Motors from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $305.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $348.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.33.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $425.35 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $294.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $239.78 and a 1 year high of $439.49.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.73 by $1.30. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 1.88%.The firm had revenue of $9.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $10.24 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 8.01%.

Lithia Motors announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total transaction of $83,329.29. Following the sale, the director directly owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total transaction of $72,186.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,905.44. This trade represents a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 782 shares of company stock valued at $229,572 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

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.