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Lithia Motors (LAD) Stock Moves -0.62%: What You Should Know

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Lithia Motors (LAD - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $276.30, moving -0.62% from the previous trading session. This move was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.67%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.57%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.05%.

Coming into today, shares of the auto dealership chain had gained 4.8% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 6.79%, while the S&P 500 gained 3.65%.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Lithia Motors as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, Lithia Motors is projected to report earnings of $12.02 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 7.23%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $7.43 billion, up 20.37% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $47.81 per share and revenue of $28.72 billion. These totals would mark changes of +19.44% and +25.78%, respectively, from last year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Lithia Motors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-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. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.35% higher. Lithia Motors is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Digging into valuation, Lithia Motors currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 5.82. This represents a no noticeable deviation compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 5.82.

It is also worth noting that LAD currently has a PEG ratio of 0.86. 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 was holding an average PEG ratio of 0.61 at yesterday's closing price.

The Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 59, putting it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow LAD in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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