BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Oct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: PAG), an international transportation services company consisting of franchised retail automotive dealerships, stand-alone used vehicle supercenters, heavy and medium duty retail truck dealerships, and distribution of commercial trucks and power systems, today announced record third quarter and record nine months 2018 results. For the three months ended September 30, 2018, income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders increased 38.0% to $130.1 million, and related earnings per share increased 39.1% to $1.53 when compared to the same period last year. Total revenue increased 2.4% to $5.7 billion, while same-store retail revenue increased 0.2%. Excluding foreign exchange, total revenue increased 2.9%, while same-store retail revenue increased 0.5%. Foreign exchange rates negatively impacted earnings per share attributable to common shareholders by $0.01. As a result of tax reform enacted in 2017, the company's effective tax rate in the third quarter of 2018 was 17.3% compared to 32.2% in the third quarter of 2017.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, income and earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders included a tax benefit of $11.6 million, or $0.14 per share. This benefit relates to the final reconciliation of the income tax benefit related to the enactment of the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The third quarter 2018 adjustment primarily relates to reductions in the repatriation tax. Excluding this benefit, adjusted income from continuing operations increased 25.7% to $118.5 million, and related earnings per share increased 27.3% to $1.40 for the three months ended September 30, 2018.

"I am particularly pleased to report another quarter of record revenues, income from continuing operations and earnings per share, which continue to demonstrate the benefit of our diversification," said Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger S. Penske. "The strength of our performance in the third quarter was driven by increases in new vehicle, used vehicle and finance & insurance gross profit per retail unit sold, coupled with a 70 basis-point increase in service and parts gross margin. Further, our U.K. business produced another record quarter on the strength of its premium brand mix and stand-alone used vehicle supercenter operations. Also contributing to the company's record third quarter was the 25.4% same-store retail revenue increase in the company's North American retail commercial truck business and our investment in Penske Truck Leasing."

For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, total record revenue increased 8.5% to $17.3 billion, with a 5.0% increase in same-store retail revenue. Record income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders increased 31.5% to $372.7 million and related earnings per share increased 32.4% to $4.37 when compared to the same period last year. Excluding foreign exchange, total revenue increased 5.8%, while same-store retail revenue increased 2.3%. Foreign exchange rates positively impacted earnings per share attributable to common shareholders by $0.08. Excluding the tax benefit noted above, record adjusted income from continuing operations increased 27.4% to $361.1 million, and related earnings per share increased 28.2% to $4.23.

Automotive Retail Highlights of the Third Quarter

• Same-Store Retail Unit Sales -2.2% to 123,799
• New unit retail sales -6.6%
• Used unit retail sales +2.1%
• Same-Store Retail Revenue +0.2%; Excluding Foreign Exchange +0.5%
• New -4.2%; Used +6.1%; Finance & Insurance +3.5%; Service and Parts +1.7%
• Same-Store Average Gross Profit Per Unit
• New $3,030, +$130/unit; Gross Margin 7.6%, +10 basis points
• Used $1,504, +$62/unit; Gross Margin 5.7%, +0 basis points
• Finance & Insurance $1,244, +$68/unit

Stand Alone Used SuperCenter OperationsThe company operates fourteen stand-alone used vehicle supercenters, five of which are located in the U.S. and nine are located in the U.K., and one vehicle preparation center in the U.K. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, these supercenters retailed 18,568 and 56,073 units of the company's total automotive units retailed, and generated $329.7 million and $1.0 billion in revenue, respectively. The company is in the process of developing four new stand-alone used vehicle supercenters which are expected to open in 2019. The expansion includes two new sites in the U.S. and another two in the U.K.

Retail Commercial Truck OperationsPenske Automotive Group operates twenty-one medium and heavy-duty truck dealership locations in the U.S. and Canada offering primarily Freightliner and Western Star brands. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, total medium and heavy-duty units retailed increased 35.5% (33.8% same-store) and 44.1% (42.8% same-store), respectively. Same-store revenue increased 25.4% for the three months and 35.0% for the nine months ended September 30, 2018.

Penske Truck LeasingPenske 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 2017, the company increased its ownership interests in PTL by 5.5%, bringing our total ownership interest in PTL to 28.9%. The company accounts for its ownership interest in PTL using the equity method of accounting. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the company recorded $40.7 million and $91.7 million in earnings from this investment compared to $30.1 million and $66.9 million for the same periods last year, respectively.

Dividend and Share RepurchasesOn October 17, 2018, the company announced that its Board of Directors increased the dividend to its common stock shareholders to $0.37 per share, the 30th consecutive increase in the quarterly dividend.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the company repurchased 1,252,624 shares for $55.8 million. Approximately $150.0 million remains available to repurchase shares under the company's existing share repurchase authorization.

Conference CallPenske Automotive Group will host a conference call discussing financial results relating to the third quarter of 2018 on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. To listen to the conference call, participants must dial (800) 230‑1074 – [International, please dial (612) 288‑0329]. The call will also be simultaneously broadcast over the Internet through the Investor's section of the Penske Automotive Group website. Additionally, an investor presentation relating to the third quarter 2018 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 AutomotivePenske 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, and is ranked among the World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune Magazine. For additional information, visit the company's website at www.penskeautomotive.com.

Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresThis 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 StatementsStatements 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, changes in tariff 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, 2017, 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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SOURCE Penske Automotive Group, Inc.