The Ride With Group 1 Automotive: Fool by Numbers

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On Feb. 21, Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI) released earnings for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

• Revenue increased by 5.7% to $1.5 billion, as new vehicle sales and finance and insurance revenue grew by 7.6 % and 9.6%, respectively.
• The company expanded its import and luxury offerings last year, acquiring 14 such franchises with total aggregate annual revenues of $728.1 million.
• Group 1 Automotive estimates EPS for fiscal 2007 to be $4.00 to $4.25.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

	Q4 2006	Q4 2005	Change
Sales	$1,507.1	$1,425.4	5.7%
Net Profit	$14.8	$16.2	(8.5%)
EPS	$0.61	$0.66	(7.6%)
Diluted Shares	24.1	24.5	(1.6%)

Get back to basics with a look at the income statement.

Margin Checkup

	Q4 2006	Q4 2005	Change*
Gross Margin	15.6%	15.8%	(0.2)
Operating Margin	2.6%	2.6%	0.0
Net Margin	1.0%	1.1%	(0.2)

*Expressed in percentage points

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets	Q4 2006	Q4 2005	Change
Cash + ST Invest.	$39.3	$37.7	4.3%
Accounts Rec.*	$265.8	$269.3	(1.3%)
Inventory	$830.6	$756.8	9.7%

Liabilities	Q4 2006	Q4 2005	Change
Accounts Payable	$117.5	$124.9	(5.9%)
Long-Term Debt	$428.6	$158.1	171.2%

*Includes contracts in transit and vehicle receivables

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

The cash flow statement must be sitting on a lot somewhere. The company will find it in time for the 10-Q.

Find out why Fools always follow the money.

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Fool by Numbers is designed to give you the raw earnings information in a timely fashion, putting all the numbers you need in one easy-to-read place. But at The Motley Fool, we believe numbers tell only part of the story, so check Fool.com for more of our in-depth discussion of what the numbers mean. This data has been provided by Netscribes. To provide feedback on this article, please click on the "feedback" button below.