Group 1 Automotive, Inc. GPI has entered into a definitive contract to acquire Inchcape’s U.K. automotive retailing business and the related owned real estate. The all-cash transaction will cost nearly $439 million to GPI, including the appraised real estate value of $279 million.

In 2023, Inchcape’s U.K. dealerships registered annual revenues of around $2.7 billion. The completion of the transaction is subject to obtaining approval from the Financial Conduct Authority and is anticipated to close in the third quarter of 2024.

Per Daryl Kenningham, president and CEO of Group 1, Inchcape U.K. dealerships complement the company’s geographic footprint in the East and South East of England and allow it to enter new markets in the Central and North West regions of England and Wales.

Inchcape has 54 dealership locations across England and Wales, including Audi, BMW/MINI, Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche, Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz/smart, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. All these dealerships sell more than 63,500 new and used vehicles and 24,000 corporate units per year, on average. 

GPI has acquired around $1 billion of annual revenues year to date. With the completion of this impending acquisition, the annual acquired revenues are expected to be around $3.7 billion. After the completion of this acquisition, Group 1’s total dealership count in the U.K. would increase to 109.

In this transaction, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as the exclusive financial adviser, while Dentons UK and Middle East LLP served as legal adviser to Group 1.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

GPI currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked players in the auto space are Geely Automobile Holdings Limited GELYY, Toyota Motor Corporation TM and Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. ALSN, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GELYY’s 2024 sales suggests year-over-year growth of 36.6%. The earnings per share (EPS) estimates for 2024 and 2025 have moved up 34 cents and 54 cents, respectively, in the past 30 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TM’s 2024 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 10% and 73.6%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2024 and 2025 have improved $1.30 and $1.01, respectively, in the past 60 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALSN’s 2024 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 2.1% and 3.2%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2024 and 2025 have improved 67 cents and 71 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.



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