Key Highlights

● Asbury will report third-quarter results on 27 October 2026 before the market opens.

● Q2 revenue was US$4,384.6 million, essentially flat on a year earlier.

● Net income fell 25% to US$114.6 million, or US$6.25 per diluted share.

● Liquidity was US$966 million, with transaction adjusted net leverage of 3.4 times.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG), the US automotive retailer whose common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ABG, announced on 6 October 2026 that it will release its third-quarter 2026 financial results on Tuesday 27 October 2026 before the market opens. A conference call follows at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time the same day, with a live webcast on the company's investor relations website and a replay available for 30 days. Until then, the latest numbers are those for the second quarter, which gives a useful baseline against which the new figures can be read.

Second-quarter 2026 results

In its results published on 28 July 2026, covering the three months ended 30 June 2026, the company reported revenue of US$4,384.6 million, essentially flat on US$4,373.1 million a year earlier. Gross profit was US$753.1 million compared with US$751.9 million. Income from operations fell 15 per cent to US$219.5 million from US$257.4 million, giving an operating margin of 5.0 per cent. Net income was US$114.6 million, down 25 per cent from US$152.8 million, and diluted earnings per share under US GAAP were US$6.25 against US$7.76. On an adjusted, non-GAAP basis, diluted earnings per share were US$6.82 compared with US$7.43.

Segments and the first half

The dealership segment generated external revenue of US$4,302.4 million and segment operating income of US$196.9 million, down from US$232.1 million. The smaller Total Care Auto segment produced external revenue of US$82.2 million and segment operating income of US$21.1 million, up from US$18.5 million. For the six months ended 30 June 2026, revenue was US$8,497.6 million, slightly below US$8,521.6 million, whilst net income rose 6 per cent to US$302.4 million and diluted earnings per share rose to US$16.20 from US$14.46. The first-half improvement therefore sits alongside a weaker second quarter, which implies, by simple subtraction, first-quarter net income of about US$187.8 million, a comparatively strong start to the year.

Balance sheet and buybacks

At 30 June 2026, long-term debt including the current portion was US$3,457.6 million, down from US$3,572.0 million at the end of 2025, and floor plan notes payable were US$1,839.4 million. Liquidity was US$966 million, comprising US$154 million of cash, short-term investments and floor plan offset accounts, plus US$812 million of availability under the used vehicle floor plan line and revolving facility. The transaction adjusted net leverage ratio was 3.4 times. The company repurchased about 668,000 shares for US$131 million in the second quarter, and about 1.35 million shares for US$278 million year to date, leaving roughly US$322 million of authorisation.

Why it matters

The second quarter shows a retailer holding sales steady whilst profitability per dealership dollar softened. The release did say that the rollout of the Tekion dealership software platform remains on schedule to finish this autumn, and implementation of a major system change can affect costs and operations, although the company has not quantified any effect.

Margin, Buybacks and Leverage in Focus for 27 October

The results will show whether operating margin stabilises from the 5.0 per cent recorded in the second quarter, how gross profit trends against revenue, and whether buybacks continue at the pace seen so far this year. Leverage and floor plan balances will also be of interest given the debt figures above. Whether the company will give any outlook is unknown until the release.