Lithia Motors - 10-Q quarterly report FY2018 Q1

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Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

 

 

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued accounting standards update ("ASU") 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," which amends the accounting guidance related to revenues. We adopted this standard utilizing a cumulative effect transition method effective January 2018. Except for the changes below, we have consistently applied the accounting policies to all periods presented in these consolidated financial statements.

See also Notes 2 and 12.

Certain immaterial reclassifications of amounts previously reported have been made to the accompanying condensed Consolidated Financial Statements to maintain consistency and comparability between periods presented.

The following describes our major product lines, which represent the disaggregation of our revenues to transactions that are similar in nature, amount, timing, uncertainties and economic factors.

Revenue from the retail sale of a vehicle is recognized at a point in time, as all performance obligations are satisfied when a contract is signed by the customer, financing has been arranged or collectibility is probable and the control of the vehicle is transferred to the customer. The transaction price for a retail vehicle sale is specified in the contract with the customer and includes all cash and non-cash consideration. In a retail vehicle sale, customers often trade in their current vehicle. The trade-in is measured at its stand-alone selling price in the contract, utilizing various third-party pricing sources. There are no other non-cash forms of consideration related to retail sales. All vehicle rebates are applied to the vehicle purchase price at the time of the sale, and are therefore incorporated into the price of the contract at the time of the exchange. We do not allow the return of new or used vehicles, except where mandated by state law.

Revenue from service, body and parts sales is recognized upon the transfer of control of the parts or service to the customer. We allow for customer returns on sales of our parts inventory up to 30 days after the sale. Most parts returns generally occur within one to two weeks from the time of sale and are not significant.

Revenue from finance and insurance sales is recognized, net of estimated charge-backs, at the time of the sale of the related vehicle. As a part of the vehicle sale, we seek to arrange financing for customers and sell a variety of add-ons, such as extended warranty

Accounts receivable consisted of the following (in thousands):

Accounts receivable classifications include the following:

The allowance for doubtful accounts is estimated based on our historical write-off experience and is reviewed monthly. Consideration is given to recent delinquency trends and recovery rates. Account balances are charged against the allowance after all appropriate means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. The annual activity for charges and subsequent recoveries is immaterial.

The long-term portion of accounts receivable was included as a component of other non-current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The components of inventories, net, consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

We determined the carrying value of cash equivalents, accounts receivable, trade payables, accrued liabilities and short-term borrowings approximate their fair values because of the nature of their terms and current market rates of these instruments. We believe the carrying value of our variable rate debt approximates fair value.

 

A summary of the aggregate carrying values, excluding unamortized debt issuance cost, and fair values of our long-term fixed interest rate debt is as follows (in thousands):

We compute net income per share of Class A and Class B common stock using the two-class method. Under this method, basic net income per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period excluding common shares underlying equity awards that are unvested or subject to forfeiture. Diluted net income per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and, if dilutive, potential common shares outstanding during the period.

 

Except with respect to voting and transfer rights, the rights of the holders of our Class A and Class B common stock are identical. Under our Articles of Incorporation, the Class A and Class B common stock share equally in any dividends, liquidation proceeds or other distribution with respect to our common stock and the Articles of Incorporation can only be amended by a vote of the shareholders. Additionally, Oregon law provides that amendments to our Articles of Incorporation that would adversely alter the rights, powers or preferences of a given class of stock, must be approved by the class of stock adversely affected by the proposed amendment. As a result, the undistributed earnings for each year are allocated based on the contractual participation rights of the Class A and Class B common shares as if the earnings for the year had been distributed. Because the liquidation and dividend rights are identical, the undistributed earnings are allocated on a proportionate basis.

Following is a reconciliation of net income and weighted average shares used for our basic earnings per share (“EPS”) and diluted EPS (in thousands, except per share amounts):

Our Domestic segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, General Motors and Ford. Our Import segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan and Volkswagen. Our Luxury segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. The franchises in each segment also sell used vehicles, parts and automotive services, as well as automotive finance and insurance products.

Corporate and other revenue and income includes the results of operations of our stand-alone body shops offset by unallocated corporate overhead expenses, such as corporate personnel costs, and certain unallocated reserve and elimination adjustments. Additionally, certain internal corporate expense allocations increase segment income for Corporate and other while decreasing segment income for the other reportable segments. These internal corporate expense allocations are used to increase comparability of our dealerships and reflect the capital burden a stand-alone dealership would experience. Examples of these internal allocations include internal rent expense, internal floor plan financing charges, and internal fees charged to offset employees within our corporate headquarters who perform certain dealership functions.

We define our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) to be certain members of our executive management group. Historical and forecasted operational performance are evaluated on a store-by-store basis and on a consolidated basis by the CODM. We derive the operating results of the segments directly from our internal management reporting system. The accounting policies used to derive segment results are substantially the same as those used to determine our consolidated results, except for the internal allocation within Corporate and other discussed above. Our CODM measures the performance of each operating segment based on several metrics, including earnings from operations, and uses these results, in part, to evaluate the performance of, and to allocate resources to, each of the operating segments.

Certain financial information on a segment basis is as follows (in thousands):

All acquisitions were accounted for as business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. The results of operations of the acquired stores are included in our Consolidated Financial Statements from the date of acquisition.

 

The purchase price allocations for the Baierl Auto Group, Downtown LA Auto Group, Albany CJD Fiat, Crater Lake Ford Lincoln, Crater Lake Mazda, Ray Laks Honda, Ray Laks Acura, Day Auto Group, and Prestige Auto Group acquisitions are preliminary and we have not obtained and evaluated all of the detailed information necessary to finalize the opening balance sheet amounts in all respects. We recorded the purchase price allocations based upon information that is currently available. Unallocated items are recorded as a component of other non-current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

These amounts have been calculated by applying our accounting policies and estimates. The results of the acquired stores have been adjusted to reflect the following: depreciation on a straight-line basis over the expected lives for property and equipment; accounting for inventory on a specific identification method; and recognition of interest expense for real estate financing related to stores where we purchased the facility. No nonrecurring proforma adjustments directly attributable to the acquisitions are included in the reported proforma revenues and earnings.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases." ASU 2016-02 increases transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and requires disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods. We have both real estate leases and equipment leases that will be impacted by the new guidance. We continue to evaluate the effect this pronouncement will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) - Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment." ASU 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Under the updated standard, an entity should perform its goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value, if applicable. The loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The same impairment test also applies to any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. ASU 2017-04 is effective for fiscal years, including interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019, on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2017-04 to have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," which amends the accounting guidance related to revenues. This amendment replaced most of the existing revenue recognition guidance. The new standard, as amended in July 2015, is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods therein. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We adopted this standard utilizing a cumulative effect transition method effective January 2018. While the adoption of the new standard did not have a significant effect on earnings or on the timing of our most significant types of transactions, we made the following changes to our revenue policies:

These changes had an immaterial effect on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and the following impact on our Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands):

 

Certain statements under the sections entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “project”, “outlook,” “target”, “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “seek,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “likely,” “goal,” “strategy,” “future,” “maintain,” and “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terms. Examples of forward-looking statements in this Form 10-Q include, among others, statements we make regarding:

 

 

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events that depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

 

We believe that the fragmented nature of the automotive dealership sector provides us with the opportunity to achieve growth through consolidation. In 2017, the top ten automotive retailers, as reported by Automotive News, represented approximately 7% of the stores in the United States. Our dealerships are located across the United States. We seek domestic, import and luxury franchises in cities ranging from mid-sized regional markets to metropolitan markets. We evaluate all brands for expansion opportunities provided the market is large enough to support adequate new vehicle sales to justify the required capital investment. Our acquisition strategy has been to acquire dealerships at prices that meet our internal investment targets and, through the application of our centralized operating structure, leverage costs and improve store profitability. We believe our disciplined approach and the current economic environment provides us with attractive acquisition opportunities.

 

We also believe that we can continue to improve operations at our existing stores. By promoting entrepreneurial leadership within our general and department managers, we strive for continuous improvement to drive sales and capture market share in our local

During the first quarter of 2018, we focused on growth through acquisitions. Newly acquired stores generally have a lower operating efficiency than our other stores and negatively impact our operating margin initially. We continue to focus on accelerating the integration of acquired stores to leverage our cost structure and increase incremental profitability.

Key performance metrics for revenue and gross profit were as follows (dollars in thousands):

We believe that same store comparisons are an important indicator of our financial performance. Same store measures demonstrate our ability to grow revenues in our existing locations. As a result, same store measures have been integrated into the discussion below.

 

 

Same store unit sales increased (decreased) as follows: