Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG) (the “Company”), one
of the largest automotive retail and service companies in the U.S.,
today announced its board of directors increased the Company’s
common stock repurchase authorization by $108 million to a total of
$200 million.
“Our robust cash flow and strong balance sheet, enabled by our
business model execution, continues to power our capital allocation
strategy,” said David Hult, Asbury’s President and Chief Executive
Officer.
For full year 2022, the Company repurchased approximately 1.6
million shares of its common stock for $287 million. Year-to-date
2023, the Company also repurchased approximately 115,000 shares for
$20 million.
Under the share repurchase program, the shares of common stock
of the Company may be purchased from time to time in the open
market, in privately negotiated transactions or in other manners as
permitted by federal securities laws and other legal and
contractual requirements. The extent to which the Company
repurchases its shares, the number of shares and the timing of any
repurchase will depend on such factors as Asbury’s stock price,
general economic and market conditions, the potential impact on its
capital structure, the expected return on competing uses of capital
such as strategic dealership acquisitions and capital investments
and other considerations. The program does not require the Company
to repurchase any specific number of shares, and may be modified,
suspended or terminated at any time without further notice.
About Asbury Automotive Group,
Inc.
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG), a Fortune 500 company
headquartered in Duluth, GA, is one of the largest automotive
retailers in the U.S. In December 2020, Asbury embarked on a
five-year plan to increase revenue and profitability strategically
through organic and acquisitive growth as well as their innovative
Clicklane digital vehicle purchasing platform, with its
guest-centric approach as Asbury’s constant North Star. Asbury
currently operates 139 dealerships, consisting of 187 franchises,
representing 31 domestic and foreign brands of vehicles. Asbury
also operates Total Care Auto, Powered by Landcar, a leading
provider of service contracts and other vehicle protection
products, seven stand-alone used vehicle stores, 32 collision
repair centers, an auto auction, and a used vehicle wholesale
business. Asbury offers an extensive range of automotive products
and services, including new and used vehicles; parts and service,
which includes vehicle repair and maintenance services, replacement
parts and collision repair services; and finance and insurance
products, including arranging vehicle financing through third
parties and aftermarket products, such as extended service
contracts, guaranteed asset protection debt cancellation, and
prepaid maintenance.
For additional information, visit www.asburyauto.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than
historical fact, and may include statements relating to goals,
plans, objectives, projections regarding Asbury's financial
position, liquidity, results of operations, cash flows, leverage,
market position and dealership portfolio, revenue enhancement
strategies, operational improvements, projections regarding the
expected benefits of Clicklane, management’s plans, projections and
objectives for future operations, scale and performance,
integration plans and expected synergies from acquisitions, capital
allocation strategy, business strategy and expectations of our
management with respect to, among other things: changes in general
economic and business conditions, including increases in interest
rates and rising fuel prices, any impact of COVID-19 on the
automotive industry in general, the automotive retail industry in
particular and our customers, suppliers, vendors and business
partners; our relationships with vehicle manufacturers; our ability
to maintain our margins; operating cash flows and availability of
capital; capital expenditures; the amount of our indebtedness; the
completion of any future acquisitions and divestitures; future
return targets; future annual savings; general economic trends,
including consumer confidence levels, interest rates, inflation,
and fuel prices; and automotive retail industry trends. These
statements are based on management's current expectations and
beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that may
cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other
things, our inability to realize the benefits expected from
recently completed transactions; our inability to promptly and
effectively integrate completed transactions and the diversion of
management’s attention from ongoing business and regular business
responsibilities; our inability to complete future acquisitions or
divestitures and the risks resulting therefrom; any impact from the
COVID-19 pandemic on our industry and business, market factors,
Asbury's relationships with, and the financial and operational
stability of, vehicle manufacturers and other suppliers, acts of
God, acts of war or other incidents and the shortage of
semiconductor chips and other components, which may adversely
impact supply from vehicle manufacturers and/or present retail
sales challenges; risks associated with Asbury's indebtedness and
our ability to comply with applicable covenants in our various
financing agreements, or to obtain waivers of these covenants as
necessary; risks related to competition in the automotive retail
and service industries, general economic conditions both nationally
and locally, governmental regulations, legislation, including
changes in automotive state franchise laws, adverse results in
litigation and other proceedings, and Asbury's ability to execute
its strategic and operational strategies and initiatives, including
its five-year strategic plan, Asbury's ability to leverage gains
from its dealership portfolio, Asbury's ability to capitalize on
opportunities to repurchase its debt and equity securities or
purchase properties that it currently leases, and Asbury's ability
to stay within its targeted range for capital expenditures. There
can be no guarantees that Asbury's plans for future operations will
be successfully implemented or that they will prove to be
commercially successful.
These and other risk factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied in our
forward-looking statements are and will be discussed in Asbury's
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time
to time, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and
any subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These
forward-looking statements and such risks, uncertainties and other
factors speak only as of the date of this press release. We
undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230126005979/en/
Investors & Reporters May Contact: Joe Sorice
Manager, Investor Relations (770) 418-8211 ir@asburyauto.com
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