Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Penske Automotive (PAG) Closes Acquisition of CarSense

Read MoreHide Full Article

Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG - Free Report) recently completed the CarSense acquisition that was announced in Dec 2016. The company expects this buyout to drive annual revenues by around $350 million along with earnings accretion of around 7 cents to 9 cents per share annually. Penske Automotive expects this buyout to diversify its business and expand its customer base. It will also help the company capitalize on the highly fragmented used automotive retail segment.

CarSense is a stand-alone specialty retailer of used vehicles in the U.S. It has been operating in five locations. It mainly reconditions and retails high-quality used vehicles.

In Jan 2017, Penske Automotive signed a deal to acquire the leading retailer of used vehicles in the U.K. – CarShop. The company expects CarShop to generate annual revenues of around $340 million along with earnings accretion of roughly 7 cents to 9 cents per share annually. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to certain conditions.

Starting 1999, CarShop has been operating through five large-scale retail locations in Cardiff, Swindon, Northampton, Norwich and Doncaster. CarShop also has a 15-acre vehicle preparation center in Leighton Buzzard. This center has the capacity to recondition 45,000 vehicles annually. In order to provide a transparent customer buying experience, CarShop retails high-quality used vehicles at fixed retail prices. Penske Automotive expects this acquisition to complement its existing core auto retail business.

Used vehicle annual sales in the U.K. are almost three times that of new vehicles. Penske Automotive expects the purchases of CarShop in the U.K. and CarSense in the U.S. to strengthen the company’s position in two of the largest markets, thus leading to enhanced growth opportunities.

Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Price
 

 

Price Performance

In the last one year, Penske Automotive’s share price increased 55.4% while the Zacks categorized Retail/Wholesale Auto/Truck industry saw a 32.3% increase. The company benefitted from increasing dealerships, rising new vehicle sales and capital deployment. Record earnings in the last quarter also boosted the company’s share price.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Penske Automotive currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Better-ranked companies in the auto space include Oshkosh Corporation (OSK - Free Report) , Fox Factory Holding Corp (FOXF - Free Report) and GKN plc . Fox Factory sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company has an expected earnings growth rate of around 16.6% for the current year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Meanwhile, Oshkosh and GKN carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Oshkosh has a long-term growth rate of 8.4% while the same for GKN is pegged at 6.3%.

Zacks’ Best Private Investment Ideas

In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time?

Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG) - free report >>

Oshkosh Corporation (OSK) - free report >>

Fox Factory Holding Corp. (FOXF) - free report >>

Published in