Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors’ Q2 2027 earnings at $9.17 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $8.92 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $41.77 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.1%

LAD opened at $257.03 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $239.78 and a 1-year high of $360.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.00, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $293.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $312.27.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.The company had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.79 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the third quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.4% during 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter.

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.