Lithia Motors (LAD)
Consumer Discretionary · automotive retail · NYSE
A diversified automotive retail leader driving omnichannel vehicle sales and comprehensive aftersales service through its national dealership network and digital platform.
What Lithia Motors does
Lithia Motors is a leading automotive retailer operating a broad network of new and used vehicle dealerships. The company provides a full spectrum of automotive services, including vehicle sales, financing, insurance products, and comprehensive aftersales maintenance and repair services through its "Lithia and Driveway" (LAD) platform.
Themes: omnichannel automotive retail, vehicle financing, automotive aftersales and service, digital automotive marketplace
Fundamentals
- Price$288.87 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$6.4B as of 2026-07-29 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return-4.2% 2025-10-08 close $301.49 → 2026-10-08 close $288.87
- P/E9.59 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+2.2% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Gross margin+15.2% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+12.4% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity2.49 as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue growth (YoY)+2.0% as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+10.1% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.92 as of 2026-09-02
- Last reported earnings2026-07-29 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +0.9%; at least 11 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How LAD compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiobottom 25% 258 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit marginmiddle range 314 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- operating marginmiddle range 281 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- gross marginbottom 10% 191 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- return on equitymiddle range 293 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- 3-year revenue CAGRtop 25% 326 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- indicated dividend yieldbottom 25% 169 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)bottom 25% 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
LAD is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Top 10 score
47.5 #880 of 1,379 scored · #86 of 155 in Consumer Discretionary
Valuation 93rd (price to book 1, price to earnings 9.6) and capital return 87th (net share count bought back over the year 6.3, consecutive years of dividend increases 11 years); weakest is financial health (14th, debt to equity 2.5, free cash flow margin 0%).
Scores as of 8 Oct 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 4.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Exceeded at least one reported measure. In FY2025, LAD's dividend exceeded at least one reported measure of what it earned or generated (earnings payout 7%, free-cash-flow payout 953%). A payout above 100% in one year is not necessarily unsustainable, but it is not fully covered by that measure.
- Earnings payout7% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout953% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Lithia Motors looks technically
Lithia Motors (LAD) is trading 7.3% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 52 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 33, with sellers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 31, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 2 trading days ago. It is 34.3% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 7.3% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -7.3% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $349.87 | $349.87 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $311.58 | $311.58 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 30 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 30 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed five-part upward sequence — the pattern Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — which on that reading would now be due a pullback rather than more of the same; the labelling fails if price closes above 388.44. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible five-wave upward sequence, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 52 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 52 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 33, with sellers in control | 33.3 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 31, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 31.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($282.00 to $320.55) — its "stochastic" reading is 18 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 17.8 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 44 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $439.49 | $439.49 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 34.3% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -34.3% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 20.5% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +20.5% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 34.3% below its highest point of the past year | 34.3% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 2 trading days ago | 2 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 2 trading days ago | 2 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $439.49 (set on 2026-07-29) | $439.49 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($243.00 to $427.48), and it has given back well over two thirds of its rise from last year’s low — 75% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $307.57 to $313.47. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 75.1% |
| From the all-time high | it is 34.3% below its all-time high | -34.3% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.5% below a resistance level at $290.35 — a price it turned at twice since 2025-11-06, most recently on 2026-04-21. Since 2024-10-08 it has 3 such levels below the current price and 10 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +0.5% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $1.53 (set on 2008-10-27) | $1.53 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 18780.4% above its all-time low | +18,780% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually wide versus its own recent history (wider than about 81% of the past ~6 months) | 81st percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $13.24 between its high and its low — about 4.6% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $13.24 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $270.91 and $356.35 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $270.91 – $313.63 – $356.35 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.6% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.6% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 1.7 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (7.3% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 1.7 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.96× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 4 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 4 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a hammer | 3 sessions ago, after a stretch of decline, it sold off hard during the session and then closed back near its high — a "hammer", the long lower wick showing the drop was bought back before the close | 3 sessions ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 0.5% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -0.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 2.4% below the previous close 1 session ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 292.51 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -2.4% |
| Gap filled | a 5.2% gap up opened on 2026-07-29 has been "filled" 36 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 14 sessions to close | 36 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 22.7 percentage points (the stock lost 21.7% while the market gained 1.0%) | -22.7% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 8.5 percentage points (the stock lost 4.6% while the market gained 3.8%) | -8.5% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 5.3 percentage points (the stock gained 12.2% while the market gained 17.5%) | -5.3% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 19.2 percentage points (the stock lost 4.2% while the market gained 15.0%) | -19.2% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: trading below its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day low, MACD momentum is negative, a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 20% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 6.8% of the share price. | -20.1% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 7% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $310.59 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 190 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -7.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 18% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-29 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $354.14 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 51 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -18.4% |
Price levels it has turned at before
LAD last closed at $288.87 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 3 prices below its last close and 10 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $290.35 | Resistance | 0.5% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-11-06 to 2026-04-21 |
| $283.57 | Support | 1.8% below the last close | turned there five times · 2025-03-13 to 2026-06-30 |
| $301.39 | Resistance | 4.3% above the last close | turned there 8 times · 2024-10-23 to 2026-04-29 |
| $312.10 | Resistance | 8.0% above the last close | turned there four times · 2025-04-09 to 2026-06-25 |
| $256.47 | Support | 11.2% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-03-24 to 2026-05-20 |
| $241.32 | Support | 16.5% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-03-19 to 2026-03-30 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $388.44.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 4 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
This reading has stood for 18 trading days, since 2026-09-15.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Pulled back from the 12-month high · Broke down to a new 20-day low · lagging the market · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) · Under water since its last earnings report (below the anchored VWAP) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (1.80 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 15 analysts
- Mean price target$447.73 range $340.00 – $525.00; median $461.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-03. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for LAD
- Consensus EPS estimate$10.08 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-03
- Estimate change, 30 days-$0.02044 (-0.2%) from $10.10, on 2026-08-29, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward13% of 8 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations impacting floor plan financing costs and consumer demand.","Dependence on manufacturer relationships and inventory availability for new vehicle sales.","Economic downturns impacting consumer discretionary spending on vehicles and services."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of LAD's 10-Q filed 2026-04-29 against the prior one filed 2025-10-24.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added reference to 'DFC' (Driveway Financial Company) in forward-looking statements bullet point in newer filing (2026-04-29)
- Reworded:
- Changed 'anticipated car and other sales levels and gross profit levels and the supply of inventory' (2025-10-24) to 'anticipated vehicle and other sales, gross profit and inventory supply' (2026-04-29)
- Changed reference from '2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K' (2025-10-24) to '2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K' (2026-04-29)
- Changed company store count from '447 locations representing 52 brands' as of September 30, 2025 (2025-10-24) to '465 locations representing 57 brands' as of March 31, 2026 (2026-04-29)
- Changed store reference in operational strategy section from '447 stores' (2025-10-24) to '465 stores' (2026-04-29)
- Notes:
- The newer filing text appears to be truncated at the end; comparison limited to complete passages available
- The 'DFC' reference addition may reflect a pre-existing acronym definition rather than a new forward-looking statement category
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 2 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 30 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 1 sell ($27805) — 1 selling insider
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 2 sells ($147320) — 2 selling insiders
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 6 sells ($376894) — 4 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-09-11. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about LAD's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
U.S. House trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 2 matched disclosures for LAD from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
U.S. House trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding LAD as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 5,700,673
- Reported value $1,655,988,409
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 1 new, 2 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about LAD's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
LAD had 1,879,597 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
LAD had 8.55% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 9.13 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 1,879,597
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 8.55%
- Prior settlement (shares) 1,977,078
- Reported change -4.93%
- Days to cover (reported) 9.13
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- AutoNation (AN)
- Group 1 Automotive (GPI)
- Penske Automotive Group (PAG)
- Asbury Automotive Group (ABG)
- Sonic Automotive (SAH)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare LAD vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does Lithia Motors (LAD) do?
Lithia Motors is a leading automotive retailer operating a broad network of new and used vehicle dealerships. The company provides a full spectrum of automotive services, including vehicle sales, financing, insurance products, and comprehensive aftersales maintenance and repair services through its "Lithia and Driveway" (LAD) platform.
What sector is Lithia Motors (LAD) in?
Lithia Motors (LAD) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is automotive retail. It trades on NYSE.
Does LAD pay a dividend?
Yes — Lithia Motors (LAD) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 0.89% and at least 11 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-09-02). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Lithia Motors's (LAD) competitors?
Notable peers of Lithia Motors (LAD) include AutoNation, Group 1 Automotive, Penske Automotive Group, Asbury Automotive Group and Sonic Automotive. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent U.S. House stock trading in LAD?
Yes — we hold 2 matched STOCK Act disclosures for LAD from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Lithia Motors (LAD) overbought or oversold right now?
Lithia Motors (LAD) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 31, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on LAD come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-02; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.