Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Lithia Motors (LAD) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

Lithia Motors (LAD - Free Report) closed at $334.13 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.73% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.04% loss on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.58%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.18%.

Heading into today, shares of the auto dealership chain had gained 5.37% over the past month, outpacing the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 4.29% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.67% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Lithia Motors as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $9.51, up 61.46% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $6.39 billion, up 47.04% from the prior-year quarter.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $40.33 per share and revenue of $26.38 billion. These totals would mark changes of +0.75% and +15.56%, respectively, from last year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Lithia Motors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 5.18% higher. Lithia Motors is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Digging into valuation, Lithia Motors currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 8.43. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 6.96, so we one might conclude that Lithia Motors is trading at a premium comparatively.

Investors should also note that LAD has a PEG ratio of 1.83 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 0.43 as of yesterday's close.

The Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 18, putting it in the top 8% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) - free report >>

Published in