| -

HOUSTON, Texas — Thanks to a an upswing of gross profit on sales of almost 25 percent, Group 1 Automotive announced this week that adjusted second-quarter net income was up 73 percent.

More specifically, adjusted net income came in at $17.8 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, compared with $10.3 million, or $0.44 per diluted share for the same period of 2009.

Overall Financials

Group 1 reported that same-store total revenues were up 25-percent over last year, mostly due to a 26.5-percent increase in new-vehicle sales and a 31.7-percent increase in used-vehicle sales.

Same-store new- and used-vehicle gross profits grew 25.5 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, same-store parts and service gross profit was up 7.6 percent on 4.8-percent higher revenues.

Same-store selling, general and administrative expensive as a percent of gross profit grew 390 basis points sequentially to 77.3 percent.

New-vehicle inventory came in at $484.9 million as of June 30, which is up $30.5 million compared to March 31.

Also, the company ended the quarter with immediately available funds of $104.2 million and available liquidity of $275 million.

"Group 1's sales results in the second quarter far exceeded the overall market's improvement and demonstrates that our focus on growing our business is gaining traction," explained Earl Hesterberg, Group 1 president and chief executive officer.

"The hard work by our operating team to retain and attract new customers in this improving selling environment showed good results in this quarter. In addition, the benefits of Group 1's leaner expense structure are becoming evident as sales begin to grow again," he continued.

During the second quarter, the company completed its 2008 authorization to repurchase $20 million of its common stock by repurchasing 748,464 shares at an average price of $25.69 per share.

Group 1 also indicated that its board of directors authorized a new share repurchase program of up to $25 million of the company's common stock. The company expects that any repurchase of shares will be funded by cash from operations.

Used Vehicle Trends

Looking at the used-car side of the business, while the gross margin on used-vehicle retail units has declined since 2006 when it was $2,114 to $1,845 in the  second quarter of this year, this is actually improved over $1,813 averaged in 2009 and $1,853 averaged in 2008.

Higher wholesale prices have also helped the company. Back in 2006, Group 1 averaged a $54 loss per wholesaled unit. In 2007, this grew to an $81 loss and peaked at a $118 loss per unit in 2008. In 2009, the company showed a median gain of $83 per wholesale unit, which grew to a $129 gain per wholesaled unit in the second quarter of this year.

So, how has Group 1 worked to drive back up gains on its used-vehicle side? Ultimately, the company's management believes that continued progress in used-vehicle technology will help bolster retail sales.

The goal is to increase higher-profit retail sales while minimizing low-profit wholesales, officials indicated.

Moreover, the dealerships are using customer management software to drive traffic by sending maintenance reminder e-mails, in addition to offering online appointment scheduling, peak-period service call handling and upgraded customer waiting areas.

Another focus of the company has been to monitor market areas to ensure consistent, competitive service pricing, as well as improving parts inventory management.

F&I

On a same-store per-retail-unit basis, Group 1 revealed that F&I gross profit has grown to $1,028.

Overall, gross profit per unit for F&I came in at $1,001, compared to $994 in 2009, but down from $1,080 in 2008 and $1,045 in 2007.

To improve profit, the company renegotiated product pricing on vehicle service contracts, gap insurance and maintenance.

Additionally, management has in-sourced functions such as training, compliance and personnel management.

The company even hired regional F&I directors to focus on PVR, training, processes, pay plans and more.

Looking Ahead

Group 1's management said the company is well-positioned to take advantage of acquisition opportunities that come up and grow scale in existing U.S. and the United Kingdom markets.

The dealership group plans to focus on acquiring import and luxury franchises, predominately.

Basically, management indicated that aging franchise ownerships are looking for exit strategies, which offers Group 1 the opportunity to buy new stores.

On the other side of the coin, management also said, "Group 1 will continue to evaluate our portfolio and dispose of dealerships that do not provide acceptable returns."

For instance, the dealer group sold its Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealership in Florida.

The company also hired a new vice president to oversee corporate development and construction activities, effective Jan. 1. 

Ultimately company management said that in a rebounding auto sales industry, "Opportunities exist to grow all areas of the business. Market conditions are becoming more favorable."