Why Is Lithia Motors (LAD) Down 11.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Lithia Motors (LAD). Shares have lost about 11.5% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Lithia Motors due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.Lithia Q3 Earnings Beat EstimatesLithia reported third-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of $9.50, which improved from the prior-year quarter’s $8.21 and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.53. The auto retailer clocked revenues of $9.67 billion, which increased 5% year over year and also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.61 billion.Segmental PerformanceNew vehicle retail revenues increased 4.5% year over year to $4.63 billion and topped our estimate of $4.5 billion due to higher-than-expected unit sales and average selling price (ASP). New vehicle units sold rose 1.8% from the prior-year quarter’s levels to 96,639 units, beating our estimate of 95,276 units. The ASP of new vehicle retail increased to $47,913 from $46,649 reported in the prior-year quarter. Our estimate was $47,213. The gross margin in this segment contracted 90 basis points (bps) to 6% amid the high cost of sales, which rose 5.6% year over year to $4.35 billion.Used vehicle retail revenues rose 8.9% year over year to $3.1 billion and surpassed our estimate of $3.08 billion, courtesy of higher-than-anticipated ASP. The used-vehicle retail units sold increased 4% from the year-ago quarter to 109,097 units, but lagged our expectation of 114,047 units. The ASP of used vehicle retail was $28,381, up 4.7% year over year. Our estimate was $27,016. The gross margin in the segment decreased 40 bps to 6.2%.Revenues from used vehicle wholesale fell 6.1% to $367 million and missed our estimate of $455.9 million. The company’s finance and insurance revenues rose 5% to $378.6 million but fell short of our estimate of $384.7 million. Revenues from aftersales were $1.04 billion, which rose 2.4% year over year but missed our estimate of $1.07 billion. Revenues from fleet and others were $166.5 million, which contracted 9.3% year over year but topped our expectation of $163.5 million.Same-store new vehicle revenues increased 5.5% year over year, while same-store used vehicle retail sales rose 11.8%. Same-store revenues from finance and insurance rose 5.7%, while those of the aftersales unit rose 3.9%.Financial TidbitsCost of sales were up 5.4% year over year in third-quarter 2025. SG&A expenses were $998 million, up 5.8% year over year. Adjusted SG&A, as a percentage of gross profit, was 67.9%, up from the prior-year quarter’s 66%. Pretax and net profit margins improved from the year-ago levels.The company announced a dividend of 55 cents to be paid out on Nov. 21, 2025, to its shareholders of record as of Nov. 7, 2025. In third-quarter 2025, LAD repurchased nearly 1,312,000 shares at an average price of $312. Currently, Lithia has approximately $889.3 million shares remaining under its buyback authorization.Lithia had cash/cash equivalents/restricted cash of $417.1 million as of Sept. 30, 2025, up from $402.2 million as of Dec. 31, 2024. Long-term debt was $6.97 billion as of Sept. 30, 2025, up from $6.12 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024.How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?In the past month, investors have witnessed a flat trend in fresh estimates.VGM ScoresAt this time, Lithia Motors has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with a D. However, the stock was allocated a score of A on the value side, putting it in the top quintile for this investment strategy.Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.Outlook Lithia Motors has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks