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Penske Automotive Group, Inc.: Q3 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 October 2025: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 1.4% to $7.7 billion: Foreign currency added $92.8 million to revenue and $0.02 to earnings per share, according to the release. Source
  • Earnings per share fell 5%: Net income attributable to common stockholders fell 6% to $213.0 million, from $226.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Retail automotive same-store revenue rose 5%: Retail automotive revenue rose 4% to $6.6 billion; gross profit rose 2% to $1.1 billion, and same-store gross profit rose 3%, driven by service and parts. Source
  • Commercial truck retail units fell 19%: Premier Truck Group retail unit sales fell 19% to 5,108, which management attributed to freight-market conditions. Earnings before taxes were $41.5 million, against $56.5 million. Source
  • Service and parts revenue hit a record: Service and parts gross profit rose 7%, and same-store service and parts gross profit rose 8% according to the release highlights. Source
  • Service margin rose, absorption improved: Service and parts gross margin rose 110 basis points, and fixed-cost absorption improved 380 basis points in U.S. retail automotive operations. Source
  • U.K. incident and costs cut pre-tax earnings: Management said the U.K. cyber incident at an OEM partner, higher U.K. social program costs and a higher tax rate reduced quarterly earnings before taxes by about $23 million. Source

“Overall, I am pleased with our performance during the third quarter.”

Chair Roger Penske

What changed from last quarter

  • Ended: Four U.K. used-only locations were closed or sold under the Sytner Select realignment. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 1.4% to $7.7 billion: Foreign currency added $92.8 million to revenue and $0.02 to earnings per share, according to the release. Source
  • Earnings per share fell 5%: Net income attributable to common stockholders fell 6% to $213.0 million, from $226.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Pre-tax earnings fell 4%: Earnings before taxes were $292.2 million, against $304.4 million, down 4.0% from the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Nine-month revenue reached a record: Reported nine-month earnings per share rose 5% to $10.66; adjusted earnings per share rose 2% to $10.39 after excluding a dealership sale gain and impairments. Source

Segments and regions

  • Retail automotive same-store revenue rose 5%: Retail automotive revenue rose 4% to $6.6 billion; gross profit rose 2% to $1.1 billion, and same-store gross profit rose 3%, driven by service and parts. Source
  • Commercial truck retail units fell 19%: Premier Truck Group retail unit sales fell 19% to 5,108, which management attributed to freight-market conditions. Earnings before taxes were $41.5 million, against $56.5 million. Source
  • Used units fell 5%: Used units delivered fell 5%, with a 1% decline in the U.S. and 10% internationally. Excluding U.K. Sytner Select locations in both periods, used units fell 2%. Source

“As a result, third quarter earnings before taxes was negatively impacted by approximately $23 million.”

Chair Roger Penske

Products and customers

  • Service and parts revenue hit a record: Service and parts gross profit rose 7%, and same-store service and parts gross profit rose 8% according to the release highlights. Source
  • Premium brands held 72% of revenue: Premium brands were 72% of retail automotive revenue, unchanged from last year; BMW and MINI was the largest brand at 26%. Source
  • New-vehicle profit per unit fell: New-vehicle gross profit per unit retailed was $4,726 against $5,072; used-vehicle gross profit per unit rose to $2,112 from $1,882. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Service margin rose, absorption improved: Service and parts gross margin rose 110 basis points, and fixed-cost absorption improved 380 basis points in U.S. retail automotive operations. Source
  • U.K. incident and costs cut pre-tax earnings: Management said the U.K. cyber incident at an OEM partner, higher U.K. social program costs and a higher tax rate reduced quarterly earnings before taxes by about $23 million. Source
  • SG&A rose to 72.7% of gross profit: SG&A expenses rose 2.5% to $907.5 million, equal to 72.7% of gross profit against 71.2% a year earlier. Source
  • Floor plan interest fell 15.6%: Floor plan interest expense fell 15.6% to $42.9 million; operating income fell 5.9% to $298.7 million. Source

“We grew same-store retail automotive new units delivered by 4%, reduced new vehicle inventory days supply by 6 days from the end of June and increased retail automotive service and parts revenue to a quarterly record of $818.3 million”

Chair Roger Penske

Demand and inventory

  • New vehicle inventory days supply fell: Chair said new vehicle inventory days supply fell by 6 days from the end of June. Source
  • New units up in U.S., down abroad: Total new units delivered rose 1% for the quarter, with U.S. new units up and international new units down. Source
  • Same-store new units rose 4%: Same-store retail automotive new units delivered rose 4%, and same-store new-vehicle revenue rose 3.5%. Source

Capital, cash and returns

  • Nine-month buybacks reached 934,122 shares: Nine-month repurchases included 796,716 shares under the program for about $119.0 million and 137,406 shares from employees for $22.6 million. Source
  • October buybacks and remaining authorization: From October 1 through October 24, 2025, the company repurchased 152,438 shares for $25.6 million. Source
  • Liquidity near $1.9 billion, leverage 1.0x: Leverage ratio was 1.0x at September 30, 2025, down from 1.2x at December 31, 2024. Source
  • Capital expenditures slightly lower: Capital expenditures were $79.1 million in the quarter, against $80.9 million; nine-month capital expenditures were $226.5 million, against $282.6 million. Source
  • Trailing payout ratio 36.5%: The trailing twelve-month dividend payout ratio was 36.5%. Source

Strategy, investment and people

  • PTS earnings slightly lower: PTS earnings were $58.5 million in the quarter, against $60.3 million; management cited lower rental revenue, higher bad debt and smaller used-truck sale gains. Source
  • Ferrari dealership acquired in Italy: The company completed a Ferrari dealership acquisition in Italy in July 2025, with expected annualized revenue of $40 million. Source
  • Headcount just over 28,300: The company employs over 28,300 people worldwide, down from over 28,400 in the prior release. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable sales (retail automotive same-store revenue) Source+5.1% to $6,394.4 million
New vehicle days' supply Source51 days (49 days at December 31, 2024)
Store count, North American commercial truck locations Source45 locations
Retail automotive same-store gross margin Source16.3% (16.6% prior year)
Average revenue per new vehicle retailed (excluding agency) Source$60,041 (vs $57,879)

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management cited a cyber security incident at an OEM partner as a challenge for U.K. auto retail. Source
  • Demand: Freight-market conditions lowered commercial truck sales and service, according to management. Source
  • Financial: Higher U.K. social program costs and a higher tax rate reduced earnings in the quarter. Source
  • Financial: PTS faced higher bad debt expense and lower gains on used-truck sales, reducing its earnings contribution. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The realignment was described as previously announced; management did not state its status beyond the closures or sales. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.