What if you'd held LAD?
A $1,000 investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) at the month-end close of 1996-12 would be worth $45,499 at the close of 2026-08 — +4449.9% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $17,678.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1996
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $1,000 | — |
| 1997 | $1,326 | +32.6% |
| 1998 | $1,483 | +11.9% |
| 1999 | $1,607 | +8.4% |
| 2000 | $1,118 | -30.4% |
| 2001 | $1,860 | +66.4% |
| 2002 | $1,410 | -24.2% |
| 2003 | $2,280 | +61.7% |
| 2004 | $2,456 | +7.7% |
| 2005 | $2,920 | +18.9% |
| 2006 | $2,720 | -6.9% |
| 2007 | $1,329 | -51.1% |
| 2008 | $342 | -74.3% |
| 2009 | $861 | +152.2% |
| 2010 | $1,521 | +76.6% |
| 2011 | $2,362 | +55.3% |
| 2012 | $4,111 | +74.0% |
| 2013 | $7,674 | +86.7% |
| 2014 | $9,662 | +25.9% |
| 2015 | $11,973 | +23.9% |
| 2016 | $10,993 | -8.2% |
| 2017 | $13,032 | +18.6% |
| 2018 | $8,867 | -32.0% |
| 2019 | $17,252 | +94.6% |
| 2020 | $34,629 | +100.7% |
| 2021 | $35,267 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $24,466 | -30.6% |
| 2023 | $39,643 | +62.0% |
| 2024 | $43,335 | +9.3% |
| 2025 | $40,587 | -6.3% |
| 2026 | $45,499 | +12.1% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought LAD was 2009-03 ($1.92): $1,000 then is $192,896 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($385): $1,000 then is $963.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in LAD be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $45,499 today, a total return of +4449.9%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for LAD?
Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 2009, a +152.2% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,522 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -74.3%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in LAD have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-12 would have grown to about $734,319 on $35,700 invested.
Did LAD beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested (the S&P 500 Total Return index) would be worth $17,678. LAD beat the S&P 500 by +157.4% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) historical total-return data from 1996-12 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends, the same convention used by major brokerages. End-of-day and live prices come from EODHD; parts of the deep historical series are carried over from Yahoo Finance data. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (EODHD): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via EODHD and Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.