CARY, N.C. -

Adjusted third-quarter 2019 earnings results from Group 1 Automotive reflected an after-tax cost of approximately $9 million associated with Tropical Storm Imelda.

Many of the company’s employees “had their lives devastated” as a result of the severe flooding, said Group 1 president and chief executive officer Earl Hesterberg during the company’s earnings call on Oct. 24.

But those employees worked together to see that the businesses opened within days of the storm’s conclusion, Hesterberg said.

“We did our best to financially support the storm victims within our Group 1 family through our Group 1 Foundation,” Hesterberg said. “We truly have an amazing group of employees at our Beaumont stores, and we sincerely appreciate them.”

Other than the Imelda challenge, however, and “continued market headwinds in the U.K. due to Brexit,” according to Hesterberg, the quarterly earnings news was strong for Group 1.

The company generated all-time record revenue of $3.1 billion along with $56.3 million of adjusted net income. That equated to an all-time record for the company in quarterly adjusted earnings per share of $3.02 per diluted share, which was an increase of 22% over the prior year.

Used vehicles were an important contributor toward the company’s ability to overcome any stormy obstacles.

“We were able to achieve meaningful increases in all three of our markets in aftersales led by almost 10% growth in the U.S., (and) extremely strong performances in used vehicles in both the U.S. and Brazil,” Hesterberg said.

Group 1 president of U.S. operations Daryl Kenningham said the company was happy with its quarterly U.S. performance, which he said was a result of “strong growth in used vehicles, F&I and aftersales.” That included positive results from the company’s Val-U-Line used-vehicle business.

He said same-store used unit retail sales rose 12%, “as Val-U-Line unit sales grew 10% and represented 11% of our quarterly used unit volume.”

He said the company expanded its margins with an increase in total used car gross profit of $57.

“The shift of more business to the retail channel along with our recently implemented big data pricing strategies have been critical in driving used-car vehicle gross profit growth, which was up 17% over the prior year on a same-store basis,” Kenningham said.

In addition to Group 1, Penske Automotive and Asbury Automotive showed strong earnings for the quarter, with little negative news to report.

Asbury: Used vehicles help overcome challenges

Asbury Automotive reported record third-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.33, and the company’s president and chief executive officer David Hult said during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Oct. 22 that the EPS number was up 5% from the prior year.

Hult went on to thank senior vice president and chief financial officer Sean Goodman for his contributions to Asbury, which announced earlier in October that Goodman would be leaving the company.

Goodman then gave a report on some of Asbury’s third-quarter earnings numbers, including a 5% revenue increase compared to the prior-year third quarter.

But like Group 1, Asbury faced some stormy challenges. The threat of Hurricane Dorian affected some of Asbury’s Florida stores, but Goodman said that “was not material” to the company’s financial results.

Asbury senior vice president of operations John Hartman then reported during the conference call that used-vehicle unit sales were up 6% from the prior year, and that was on top of an 8% growth rate last year.

Hult also later reported during the Q&A period that certified pre-owned sales increased 11% in the quarter.

Hartman added that the company’s used-vehicle gross profit margin of 6.6% represents a gross profit per vehicle of $1,467. Hartman said that although that is a $113 decrease from last year, he stressed the “used-car volume growth also drives increased reconditioning parts and service gross profit as well as F&I business.”

He added that the company’s used-vehicle inventory of $176 million is at a 36-day supply. That is up three days from the prior quarter, he said.

Penske overcomes hurdles; reports positive news

Penske Automotive Group chief executive officer Roger Penske reported during the company’s earnings call on Oct. 29 that the company achieved record third-quarter revenues of $6 billion.

But like Asbury and Group 1, Penske Automotive Group also endured some storms on the way to achieving its strong earnings.

Roger Penske said earnings per share were negatively impacted by approximately $0.26 per share when compared to last year as a result of the overall weak U.K. market conditions. And that was mainly as a result of Brexit and the oversupply of vehicles, “which impacted new- and used-vehicle gross profit and margins in the third quarter,” he said.

Penske moved on to discuss the company’s used-vehicle supercenters. He noted that the company operates 15 dealerships, six in the United States and nine in the U.K. He added the company also operates a reconditioning center in the U.K.

The company opened a new supercenter in Glen Mills, Pa., during the quarter.

“We’re pleased to report it was profitable in the second full month of operation,” Penske said. He added that new supercenters represented 5.5% of overall revenue and 4.9% of gross profit.

Penske said the used-vehicle superstores retailed nearly 19,700 vehicles and generated nearly $328 million in revenue in the third quarter. Unit volume was up 6.2%, including 5% on a same-store basis.

“However, in the U.K., the oversupply of used vehicles, and a significant decline in market values, impacted vehicle gross profit,” Penske said.

He added that the company’s supercenter variable gross profit per unit was down $286, but in the U.S., it rose $120 to almost $3,000 per unit.

He went on to note that high deliveries of new trucks over the past few years have caused an oversupply of used trucks in the market. That has pressured used truck values down, and it may have an impact on future truck sales, he said.

Penske tech initiatives: docuPAD rollout on track

Roger Penske provided a report on his company’s digital initiatives, noting that in the third quarter, 37% of the company’s new and used U.S. unit sales were originated from digital sources. He said that “across our enterprise,” the company is offering approximately 58,000 vehicles online ready for purchase.

He noted that the company remains on track to complete the rollout of docuPAD technology to all of its U.S. locations by the end of this year. He described that technology as an interactive tool that allows the company to engage customers digitally “by creating processing and securing funding of a transaction electronically.”

“For our customers, this investment results in a greater transparency, quicker transaction time and an improved overall customer experience, while creating operational efficiencies for our business,” Penske said.

Employee retention efforts a common theme

Group 1 and Asbury addressed efforts they were undertaking in the area of employee retention, with Kenningham reporting that Group 1 has implemented a four-day workweek in 72 stores. He said that initiative is “driving better employee retention.”

Hartman at Asbury also noted his company’s four-day workweek as part of a previously announced benefits package the company implemented for its front-line associates at the beginning of this year. Other benefits include subsidized medical plans, equity grants, education grants, extended vacation time and paid maternity leave.

“This enhanced benefits package is continuing to have favorable impact on both recruiting and retention,” Hartman said.

Roger Penske congratulated the 33 Penske U.S. dealerships that Automotive News named to its 100 Best Dealerships to Work for listing.

Penske said, “I’d like to thank all our employees for their contribution making our company one of the best to work for.”