Q1 EPS Estimates for Lithia Motors Boosted by Zacks Research

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Lithia Motors in a report issued on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $7.96 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $7.88. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors’ current full-year earnings is $34.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q2 2026 earnings at $9.53 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $10.76 EPS.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.38 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.42% and a net margin of 2.39%.Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.21 EPS.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $317.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, September 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $380.11.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $293.61 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $320.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $318.07. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $262.10 and a one year high of $405.67. The firm has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. AGP Franklin LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,434,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.6% in the second quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 16.9% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 276 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 26th that allows the company to buyback $750.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 6.37%.

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.