LAD Reports Highest Fourth Quarter and Full Year Earnings in Company History

By Eric Pitt via lithiainvestorrelations.com
VP, Investor Relations and Treasurer
EPitt@lithia.com

Declares Dividend of $0.31 Per Share for Fourth Quarter

2/3/2021 MEDFORD, Ore. – Lithia Motors & Driveway (NYSE: LAD) today reported the highest fourth quarter revenue and earnings per share in company history.

Fourth quarter 2020 revenue increased 21% to $3.9 billion from $3.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Fourth quarter 2020 net income per diluted share was $7.02, a 143% increase from $2.89 per diluted share reported in the fourth quarter of 2019. Adjusted fourth quarter 2020 net income per diluted share was $5.46, an 85% increase compared to adjusted net income of $2.95 per diluted share in the same period of 2019.

Fourth quarter 2020 net income was $188 million, a 176% increase compared to net income of $68 million in the same period of 2019. Adjusted fourth quarter 2020 net income was $146 million, a 110% increase compared to adjusted net income of $70 million for the same period of 2019.

As shown in the attached non-GAAP reconciliation tables, the 2020 fourth quarter adjusted results exclude a $1.56 per diluted share net non-core benefit related to non-cash unrealized investment gains and a net gain on sale of stores, partially offset by acquisition expenses. The 2019 fourth quarter adjusted results exclude a $0.06 per diluted share net non-core charge due to asset impairments and acquisition expenses, partially offset by a net gain on sale of stores.

Fourth Quarter-over-Quarter Operating Highlights:

• Total company revenues increased 20.6%
• New vehicle retail sales increased 19.0%
• Used vehicle retail sales increased 23.9%
• F&I per unit increased 13.1% to $1,723
• Total vehicle gross profit per unit increased 18.0% to $4,371
• Adjusted SG&A as a percentage of gross profit improved by 860 basis points to 62.0%

“This was a historic year for Lithia & Driveway and the results for the fourth quarter demonstrate the ability of our team to deliver unparalleled performance and profitability through any economic cycle,” said Bryan DeBoer, President and CEO. “The high performance being achieved at our existing stores, coupled with the acquisitions in 2020 anticipated to generate over $3.5 billion in annualized steady state revenue and the successful launch of our national e-commerce home solution Driveway, gives us increased confidence in our five-year plan to reach $50 billion in revenue and $50 in earnings per share.”

Full year 2020 revenue increased 4% to a record $13.1 billion from $12.7 billion in 2019.

Full year 2020 net income per diluted share increased 68% to $19.53 from $11.60 for 2019. Adjusted net income per diluted share increased 55% to $18.19 from $11.76 for 2019. Full year 2020 net income increased 73% to $470 million from $271 million for 2019. Adjusted net income increased 59% to $438 million for 2020 from $275 million for 2019.

As shown in the attached non-GAAP reconciliation tables, the 2020 adjusted results exclude a cumulative net non-core benefit of $1.34 per diluted share related to non-cash unrealized investment gains, a net gain on sale of stores, and tax attribute, offset by asset impairments, insurance reserves and acquisition expenses. The 2019 adjusted results exclude a cumulative net non-core charge of $0.16 per diluted share from insurance reserves, asset impairments, and acquisition expenses, offset by a net gain on sale of stores.

Full Year-over-Year Operating Highlights:

• Record full year revenues of $13.1 billion
• Used vehicle retail sales increased 13.4%
• F&I per unit increased 10.7% to $1,636
• Total vehicle gross profit per unit increased 16.4% to $4,229
• Adjusted SG&A as a percentage of gross profit improved by 570 basis points to 64.5%

Corporate Development

During the quarter, we completed the acquisitions of Latham Ford in the Albany, New York area; Keyes Automotive Group in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona; Sterling Luxury Group in the Washington D.C. area; and Ramsey Subaru/Mazda in Des Moines, Iowa. These strategic acquisitions in key geographic locations are anticipated to generate $1.8 billion in annualized steady state revenues. For the year, this brings our total anticipated annualized revenue from acquired locations to $3.5 billion, $3.3 billion since the beginning of our five-year plan on July 1, 2020.

“We expanded our network at a record pace during 2020 and are just getting started,” said DeBoer. “With our strong balance sheet and over $350 million of adjusted operating cash flows, we are well positioned for accelerated growth with the ability to add over $7 billion of additional revenue to our network this year.”

Balance Sheet Update

We ended the fourth quarter with approximately $1.4 billion in cash, unfloored inventory and availability on our revolving lines of credit. In addition, our unfinanced real estate could provide additional liquidity of approximately $471 million.

Dividend Payment

Our Board of Directors approved a dividend of $0.31 per share related to fourth quarter 2020 financial results. We expect to pay the dividend on March 26, 2021 to shareholders of record on March 12, 2021.

Download the full financial release at https://s3.amazonaws.com/b2icontent.irpass.cc/2051/rl96832.pdf