IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2020 auto dealership buy/sell market declined in the first quarter, falling 9.3% off 2019’s transactions pace as the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on auto retail, according to the just-released First Quarter 2020 Blue Sky Report® by Kerrigan Advisors. Transactions slated to close at the end of the quarter were postponed, renegotiated or, in the worst case, terminated. However, the report indicates that blue sky values are not dramatically impacted and, with auto sales due for an uptick, a buy/sell rebound in the second half of 2020 is anticipated.
A bright start to the year was not enough to avoid severe financial whiplash as US dealerships shuttered in mid-March and consumers were told to stay home. As a result, auto sales plummeted in March and April, resulting in one of the sharpest declines in dealership earnings on record, and the buy/sell market followed suit: Kerrigan Advisors expects the second quarter of 2020 to be the slowest buy/sell market in recent history.
“As a result of the coronavirus, auto dealers had to refocus their energy on internal operations and cash preservation in March and April,” said Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. “And while, at present, the industry is still managing through the economic effects of the health crisis, we see better days ahead thanks to the resilience of the dealer model that’s likely to thrive as dealerships reopen. In fact, with industry cost cuts and improved efficiencies, we expect auto retail will see significant improvements in profitability, making more money on less revenue, in the second half of 2020.”
Given strong buyer demand and today’s low cost of capital, The Blue Sky Report® by Kerrigan Advisors does not forecast dramatic changes in blue sky values in the foreseeable future, despite the economic impact of COVID-19 in the first and second quarter. Once again, says the report, many dealers have shown the ability to maintain profits, even during the worst of times (in the depths of the Great Recession, auto retailers remained profitable); and sellers choose to patiently wait for a buyer to reach their valuation expectations, rather than sell at a discounted valuation. This means that the most likely impact of COVID-19 will be a slower buy/sell market in the second quarter of 2020, rather than a decline in dealership valuations.
As auto sales rise, and buyers seek to put a substantial amount of capital to work, the report sees potential for a rebound in buy/sell activity in the second half of the year, and notes that the capital markets are experiencing a surge in auto retail valuations. Since bottoming on March 18th, The Kerrigan Index™ has risen 81.2% through the end of May. Also, the industry is seeing improved profits from an increased utilization of technology to cut costs as digital retailing becomes the order of the day.
“While the coronavirus will undoubtedly force some distressed dealership sales, those one-off valuations are not a reflection of the overall market,” said Ryan Kerrigan, Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. “In fact, while this global health crisis is impacting auto retail in many different ways, industry partners, vendors, lenders and OEMS have provided dealers with tremendous financial and administrative support to ensure they weather the financial impact of lost sales and avoid closure. And, auto retailers have the most flexible cost structures within the supply chain, so they are best able to adjust to unforeseen events. Given that, the health crisis has caused few distressed transactions.”
Kerrigan Advisors made one valuation upgrade in the First Quarter 2020 Blue Sky Report, increasing Toyota’s low-end multiple from 5.25 to 5.5. This increase reflects rising buyer demand for one of the highest quality franchises in the market and a belief that Toyota is best prepared amongst all OEMs to weather the economic impact of COVID-19. “Toyota had one of the lowest sales declines in the first quarter of any franchise and maintains the highest credit rating of the OEMs,” said Erin Kerrigan. “With a flight to quality assets, Toyota franchises are expected to command even higher multiples as buyers seek safe investments during the pandemic.”
Kerrigan Advisors has identified the following three trends, which are expected to meaningfully impact the buy/sell market for the remainder of 2020.
- Sellers’ blue sky pricing expectations exclude COVID-19 financial impact
- Surge in buyer/investor demand due to industry growth prospects and low cost of capital
- Buy/sell activity by state diverges based on level of economic shutdown
Highlights from the First Quarter 2020 Blue Sky Report® by Kerrigan Advisors include:
- Prior to COVID-19, dealership earnings through February were on track for a 38.7% increase over 2019 and near 2015’s record level.
- First quarter buy/sell activity declined 9.3%, with 49 transactions closing compared to 54 transactions during the first quarter of 2019.1
- The first quarter of 2020 saw a high level (31%) of multi-dealership transactions.
- Among the franchises being acquired, domestics continued to dominate in the first quarter of 2020, representing 57% of buy/sells, up 84% since 2015. Domestic dealership buy/sell market share is now consistent with franchise market share. Kerrigan Advisors expects domestics to dominate the 2020 buy/sell market, as multi-generation dealer families decide to sell post-pandemic. Additionally, import luxury’s buy/sell market share increased in the first quarter to 18%, up 12.5% over last year.
- The public auto retailers’ spending on US dealership acquisitions in the first quarter of 2020 increased 11.5%, compared to the first quarter of 2019. The publics were expected to spend over $1 billion on acquisitions in the first quarter of 2020 with Asbury Automotive Group’s acquisition of Park Place Dealerships.
- Asbury Automotive Group terminated the Park Place acquisition on March 24th. The company’s market capitalization declined 51.6% from the time of its announcement of the Park Place Dealerships acquisition in December to the time of the transaction termination.
- Kerrigan Advisors expects the second quarter of 2020 to be the slowest buy/sell market in recent history due to pandemic stay-at-home orders.
- Kerrigan Advisors upgraded Toyota’s low-end blue sky multiple from 5.25 to 5.5 and downgraded Ford’s low-end blue sky multiple, Buick GMC’s high-end and low-end multiples, and Nissan’s low-end and high-end blue sky multiples.
The Blue Sky Report®, published by Kerrigan Advisors, is the auto retail industry's most comprehensive and authoritative quarterly report on dealership M&A activity, as well as franchise values. The quarterly report, received by over 9,000 industry recipients in 35 countries, includes analysis of all dealership transaction activity for the year, and lays out the high, average and low blue sky multiples for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. For more details and to preview the report, click here. To sign up to receive the quarterly report, click here.
Kerrigan Advisors also releases monthly The Kerrigan Index™ composed of the seven publicly traded auto retail companies with operations focused on the US market. The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index is designed to track dealership valuation trends, while also providing key insights into factors influencing auto retail. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here.
1 Source: The Banks Report, Automotive News, Kerrigan Advisors’ Research
About Kerrigan Advisors
Kerrigan Advisors is a leading, national sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers in the US. The firm advises the industry’s leading dealership groups, enhancing value through the lifecycle of growing, operating and, when the time is right, selling their businesses. Kerrigan Advisors has represented on auto retail’s largest transactions, including five of the Top 100 Dealership Groups in the US, more than any other firm in the industry. Led by a team of veteran industry experts in coast to coast offices, the firm does not take listings, rather it develops a customized approach for each client to achieve their personal and financial goals. In addition to Kerrigan Advisors’ sell-side advisory and capital-raising services, the firm also provides a suite of consulting services including growth strategies, capital allocation, transactional due diligence, open point proposals, operational improvement, restructuring services and real estate due diligence.
Kerrigan Advisors publishes The Blue Sky Report®, which is the auto industry's most comprehensive and authoritative quarterly report of dealership buy/sell activity and franchise values, received by over 9,000 industry recipients in 35 countries. To register to receive The Blue Sky Report®, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also publishes The Kerrigan Index™, the only monthly report tracking the seven publicly traded auto retail companies. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here.
Kerrigan Advisors’ Founder and Managing Director, Erin Kerrigan, is a recognized expert on dealership valuation, real estate, and buy/sells, and is a frequent speaker at leading auto retail events and conferences, including NADA, JD Power Automotive Roundtable, Automotive News’ Canadian World Congress, AICPA, and NADC. She has also been quoted numerous times by The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg and The Economist and has been a keynote speaker for events hosted by American Honda Motor Company, Audi of America, US Trust, Bank of America, Ohio Automobile Dealer Association, and SunTrust Bank. Kerrigan Advisors’ Managing Director Ryan Kerrigan is also a sought-after industry expert. He is featured in a monthly column for Dealer Magazine and has written Op-Eds for Automotive News.
