Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Sets New 12-Month High After Dividend Announcement

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 30th, 2026

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $361.24 and last traded at $358.0240, with a volume of 422131 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $345.48.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on LAD. Weiss Ratings raised Lithia Motors from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $414.70.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors Trading Down 4.8%

The company has a 50 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 quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.73 by $1.30. The firm had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.64 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 1.88%.The company’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.24 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Lithia Motors

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

Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Lithia reported $9.8 billion in record revenue, up 2.2% year over year, while adjusted earnings per share reached $10.03 versus the $8.67–$8.73 consensus range. Results were helped by stronger used-vehicle margins, aftersales growth and record financing income. LAD Q2 Earnings Beat on Used Margins and Financing Growth
Positive Sentiment: Profitability metrics improved. Used retail gross profit per unit increased 20% sequentially to $339 higher, aftersales gross margin expanded to 59.2%, and adjusted selling, general and administrative costs improved as a percentage of gross profit. Financing operations generated a record $37 million of income on $884 million of originations. Lithia & Driveway Second-Quarter Results
Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns were increased. Lithia raised its quarterly dividend 22.8% to $0.70 per share and repurchased $242 million of stock during the quarter, equal to 3.7% of shares outstanding. These actions likely reinforced investor enthusiasm and contributed to the stock reaching a record high. Lithia Motors Shares Rally on Record Revenue and Dividend Hike
Neutral Sentiment: Brokerages collectively maintain a “Moderate Buy” recommendation, indicating generally favorable sentiment but not an overwhelming consensus. Consensus Recommendation
Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst caution are potential headwinds. Wells Fargo raised its price target to $395 but retained an “equal weight” rating, implying limited upside at recent levels. A separate analysis suggested LAD could be approximately 15% above fair value following the earnings-driven rally. Wells Fargo Price Target Update Lithia Motors Fair Value Analysis

Lithia Motors declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 26th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 7.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 165 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.64, for a total transaction of $50,430.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $513,780.84. This trade represents a 8.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total value of $83,329.29. Following the transaction, the director owned 760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $213,233.20. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 782 shares of company stock valued at $229,572. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $125,214,000. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 742,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,814,000 after buying an additional 186,628 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at $58,409,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 8,474.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 107,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,789,000 after buying an additional 106,434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 183.6% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 162,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,149,000 after buying an additional 105,478 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.