Penske Automotive Reports Record Third Quarter Results

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Oct. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --  

Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: PAG), an international transportation services company, today announced record third quarter results. For the three months ended September 30, 2017, income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders increased 7.9% to $94.3 million, and related earnings per share increased 6.8% to $1.10 when compared to the same period last year. Total automotive retail unit volume increased 9.9% and total revenue increased 7.2% to $5.5 billion. Excluding foreign exchange, total revenue increased 6.9%. There was no impact to earnings per share from foreign exchange during the third quarter.  During the third quarter, operations in certain markets were disrupted by several hurricanes which impacted our ability to sell and service vehicles.  We estimate that storm-related losses, expenses and business interruption adversely impacted income from continuing operations and earnings per share by approximately $3.0 million and $0.04 per share, respectively. 

Commenting on the company's results, Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger S. Penske said, "I am pleased to report another quarter of record performance for our diversified transportation services business.  Third quarter results were driven by recently completed acquisitions, improving variable gross profit per unit retailed and a 200 basis-point increase in service/parts gross margin, coupled with strong performance from our North American retail commercial truck operations and our equity investment in Penske Truck Leasing." 

Automotive Retail Highlights of the Third Quarter

• Retail Unit Sales +9.9% to 130,257
• New unit retail sales -2.5%
• Used unit retail sales +25.4%
• Same-Store Retail Unit Sales -2.9% to 114,941
• New unit retail sales -6.2%
• Used unit retail sales +1.2%
• Same-Store Retail Revenue -1.0%; Excluding F/X -1.2%
• New -3.5%; Used +1.7%; Finance & Insurance +5.0%; Service and Parts +1.5%
• -2.4% in the United States; +1.1% Internationally
• Average Transaction Price Per Unit
• New $38,542; +3.8%
• Used $25,337; -7.6%
• Average Gross Profit Per Unit
• New $2,877 (Excluding F/X $2,863), +$186/unit; Gross Margin 7.5%, +20 basis points
• Used $1,434, -$158/unit; Gross Margin 5.7%, -10 basis points
• Finance & Insurance $1,167, +$79/unit

Note: F/X = foreign exchange

For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, total revenue increased 5.0% to $16.0 billion, with a 2.9% decrease in same-store retail revenue. Excluding foreign exchange, total revenue increased 8.0%, while same-store retail revenue increased 0.3%. Total automotive retail unit volume increased 10.6%, with a 2.6% decrease on a same-store basis. Income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders increased 8.5% to $283.5 million and related earnings per share increased 8.9% to $3.30 when compared to the same period last year. Foreign exchange rates negatively impacted earnings per share attributable to common shareholders by $0.12.

Retail Commercial Truck Operations

Penske Automotive Group operates twenty medium and heavy-duty truck dealership locations in the U.S. and Canada under the "Premier Truck Group" brand name, offering primarily the Freightliner and Western Star brands. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, Premier Truck Group retailed 2,096 and 5,162 units, generated $299.6 million and $739.8 million of revenue, and $44.3 million and $120.7 million of gross profit, respectively, principally through the retail sale of new/used medium and heavy-duty trucks and service/parts sales. Same-store revenue increased 11.8% and declined 10.4% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.  For the three months ended September 30, 2017, gross profit per used truck retailed improved to $5,500 from a loss of $1,431 per unit in the same period last year, as used truck prices stabilized. Service and parts gross profit represented approximately 71.6% and 75.2% of Premier Truck Group's gross profit for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.

Penske Truck Leasing

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. ("PTL") is a leading provider of full-service truck leasing, truck rental, contract maintenance and logistics services. During the third quarter of 2016, the company increased its ownership interest in PTL from 9.0% to 23.4%, and in the third quarter of 2017, increased its ownership by another 5.5%, bringing the total ownership interest in PTL to 28.9%.  For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the company recorded $30.1 million and $66.9 million as part of equity in earnings of affiliates compared to $23.8 million and $36.6 million for the same periods last year, respectively. The company accounts for its ownership interest in PTL using the equity method of accounting.

Dividend and Share Repurchases

On October 11, 2017, the company announced that its Board of Directors increased the dividend to its common stock shareholders to $0.33 per share, the twenty-sixth consecutive increase in the quarterly dividend. 

During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the company repurchased 252,000 shares for $10.0 million, or an average of $39.75 per share.  For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the company has repurchased 302,000 shares for $12.7 million, or an average $41.95 per share.  In October 2017, the Board of Directors approved an increase in the company's securities repurchase authorization to $200.0 million.

Conference Call

Penske Automotive Group will host a conference call discussing financial results relating to the third quarter of 2017 on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 2:00 p.m.Eastern Daylight Time. To listen to the conference call, participants must dial (800) 230‑1766 – [International, please dial (612) 332‑0107]. The call will also be simultaneously broadcast over the Internet through the Investor Relations section of the Penske Automotive Group website. Additionally, an investor presentation relating to the third quarter 2017 financial results has been posted to the company's website. To access the presentation or to listen to the company's webcast, please refer to www.penskeautomotive.com.

About Penske Automotive

Penske Automotive Group, Inc., (NYSE: PAG) headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is an international transportation services company that operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships principally in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, and distributes commercial vehicles, diesel engines, gas engines, power systems and related parts and services principally in Australia and New Zealand. PAG employs more than 26,000 people worldwide and is a member of the Fortune 500 and Russell 2000. For additional information, visit the company's website at www.penskeautomotive.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined under SEC rules, such as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"). The company has reconciled these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures in the release. The company believes that these widely accepted measures of operating profitability improve the transparency of the company's disclosures and provide a meaningful presentation of the company's results from its core business operations excluding the impact of items not related to the company's ongoing core business operations, and improve the period-to-period comparability of the company's results from its core business operations. These non-GAAP financial measures are not substitutes for GAAP financial results, and should only be considered in conjunction with the company's financial information that is presented in accordance with GAAP.

Caution Concerning Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release may involve forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements regarding Penske Automotive Group, Inc.'s future sales and earnings potential. Actual results may vary materially because of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: economic conditions generally, conditions in the credit markets and changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, adverse conditions affecting a particular manufacturer, including the adverse impact to the vehicle and parts supply chain due to natural disasters such as the recent hurricanes, recall or other disruptions that interrupt the supply of vehicles or parts to us, changes in consumer credit availability, the outcome of legal and administrative matters, and other factors over which management has limited control. These forward-looking statements should be evaluated together with additional information about Penske Automotive Group's business, markets, conditions and other uncertainties, which could affect Penske Automotive Group's future performance. These risks and uncertainties are addressed in Penske Automotive Group's Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). This press release speaks only as of its date, and Penske Automotive Group disclaims any duty to update the information herein.

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