On the stock market since 1996, it operates in the world of automobiles. It has 30,000 employees. Now — the numbers.
This is an established company with proven profits.
That much dependence is a risk in itself: if this one line weakens, the whole company feels it directly.
Average growth of 13% a year over the last 4 years. Every year shown ended in profit.
The gap is $14.3B. In times of high interest rates, a gap like that can squeeze a company.
We compared this company with its own sector across five subjects.
A score of 50 means class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly above the class average — a step short of the very top.
The stock has been running stronger than the market lately.
Financial Strength: The cash-and-debt balance is thin; the buffer for hard times is slim.
Business Quality: Profit power and business quality trail similar companies in the sector.
The stock trades below its recent peak — about 13% off the top. A pullback, not a collapse.
Over the last 3 years, sales grew about 10% a year on average.
Over the last 12 months, company executives reported 19 buys and 14 sells. Management buying with its own money is usually read as a good sign.
It pays out $2.22 per share each year — regular cash for whoever holds the stock.
The balance sheet offers little cushion against a rough stretch. Report-card grade: 8/100.
Measured against its sector, the quality of the business sits below the class average. Report-card grade: 32/100.
Today’s price already includes part of tomorrow’s optimism. Report-card grade: 46/100.
On our five-subject report card, LAD sits behind the class. A low grade doesn’t mean “doomed” — it means “big claim, small proof.”
The takeaway: LAD is an established business that has proven its profits for years. The real debate isn’t the quality of the business — it’s whether the price paid for the stock is too high.
The total grade weighs these five subjects against the sector — it isn’t a simple average of the five.