Lithia Reports Record Q2 Revenue of $9.2B, 14% Increase – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
MEDFORD, Ore. – Lithia & Driveway (NYSE: LAD), the parent company of Airstream Adventures dealer group, today reported the highest second quarter revenue in company history and the first profitable quarter for Financing Operations, which includes Driveway Finance Corporation.
Second quarter 2024 revenue increased 14% to $9.2 billion from $8.1 billion in the second quarter of 2023.
Second quarter 2024 net income attributable to LAD per diluted share was $7.87, a 27% decrease from $10.78 per diluted share reported in the second quarter of 2023. Adjusted second quarter 2024 net income attributable to LAD per diluted share was $7.87, a 28% decrease compared to $10.96 per diluted share in the same period of 2023. Unrealized investment gains partially offset by foreign currency exchange losses positively impacted earnings per share by $0.75.
Second quarter 2024 net income was $217 million, a 28% decrease compared to net income of $301 million in the same period of 2023. Adjusted second quarter 2024 net income was $217 million, a 29% decrease compared to adjusted net income of $306 million for the same period of 2023.
As shown in the attached non-GAAP reconciliation tables, the 2024 second quarter adjusted results had offsetting non-core items related to insurance reserves, tax attributes, and acquisition expenses. The 2023 second quarter adjusted results exclude a $0.18 per diluted share impact resulting from non-core items, including acquisition expenses and insurance reserves, partially offset by a net gain on the sale of stores.
Key Second Quarter 2024 Highlights:
- Total revenues increased 14% compared to second quarter 2023
- Diluted net income per share improved from $6.11 to $7.87, a 29% increase, from first quarter 2024
- Financing operations first profitable quarter with income of $7 million
- Driveway Finance Corporation (DFC) originated $562 million in loans, total portfolio of $3.6 billion
- Repurchased 2.9% of outstanding shares
“In the second quarter, our teams focused on operating efficiency and continuity as we responded to the continued normalization of margins and the disruption created by the CDK cyberattack. Our teams demonstrated an impressive effort to quickly pivot and provide solutions to maintain our ability to stay operational across our network and support the restoration of our environment,” said Bryan DeBoer, President and CEO. “Our diversified model demonstrated its strength, delivering the first quarter of profitability in Driveway Finance and continuing maturity of our adjacencies as we expand our omnichannel ecosystem to deliver the best experience for our customers. We have opportunistically rebalanced our capital allocation from acquisitions toward returns to our shareholders, with the long-term target of delivering $2 in EPS per billion in revenues.”
For the first six months of 2024 revenues increased 18% to $17.8 billion, compared to $15.1 billion in 2023.
Net income attributable to LAD for the first six months of 2024 was $13.75 per diluted share, compared to $19.08 per diluted share in 2023, a decrease of 28%. Adjusted net income attributable to LAD per diluted share for the first six months of 2024 decreased 28% to $13.97 from $19.38 in the same period of 2023. Unrealized gain on investments partially offset by foreign currency exchange losses positively impacted earnings per share by $0.60.
Corporate Development
During the second quarter, LAD expanded its network in the Southeast region with the acquisition of two stores in Tennessee and added Woodbridge Hyundai in the greater Toronto area. Year-to-date, we have acquired over $5.6 billion in annualized revenues.
LAD expanded its omnichannel strategy with the purchase of a minority stake in Wheels, Inc. in partnership with Marubeni Corporation. Wheels, Inc. is one of the largest fleet management companies in North America with a best-in-class management team and a robust competitive moat. This investment in a highly profitable fleet management operator is expected to create transformative synergies between our retail platform and fleet operations. This transaction was completed in the third quarter.
Balance Sheet Update
LAD ended the second quarter with approximately $1.3 billion in cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, and availability on our revolving lines of credit. In addition, unfinanced real estate could provide additional liquidity of approximately $0.3 billion.
Dividend Payment and Share Repurchases
The Board of Directors approved a dividend of $0.53 per share related to second quarter 2024 financial results. The dividend is expected to be paid on August 23, 2024 to shareholders of record on August 9, 2024.
During 2024, we repurchased approximately 793,000 shares at a weighted average price of $256. Under the current share repurchase authorization approximately $613.8 million remains available.
Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call and Updated Presentation
The second quarter 2024 conference call may be accessed at 10:00 a.m. ET today by telephone at 877-407-8029. An updated presentation highlighting the second quarter 2024 results has been added to our investor relations website. To listen live on our website or for replay, visit investors.lithiadriveway.com and click on quarterly earnings.
About Lithia & Driveway (LAD)
Lithia & Driveway (NYSE: LAD) is one of the largest global automotive retailers providing a wide array of products and services throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle. Simple, convenient, and transparent experiences are offered through our comprehensive network of physical locations, e-commerce platforms, captive finance solutions, fleet management offerings, and other synergistic adjacencies. We deliver consistent, profitable growth in a massive and unconsolidated industry. Our highly diversified and competitively differentiated design provides us the flexibility and scale to pursue our vision to modernize personal transportation solutions wherever, whenever and however consumers desire.
