Ally profit warning deepens angst over slumping used-car prices
Ally Financial Inc. warned profit may grow less than anticipated only a few months ago, the latest sign that automakers’ strong discounting and aggressive use of leasing to boost sales has created a supply glut hurting lenders and rental-car companies.
Earnings may increase as little as five percent this year, Ally said Tuesday, after CEO Jeffrey Brown in January predicted growth “bashful of fifteen percent but still very solid.” The caution raised by the company dragged on shares of rental companies and auto dealer groups including Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and AutoNation Inc.
Concern is mounting over falling used-car values dragging on lenders including Ford Motor Co.’s financial-services unit. Consumers have turned to leasing more than ever to lower their monthly payments on fresh vehicles that have been selling at record high prices in the U.S. Surging numbers of vehicles coming off leases is fueling a supply glut and dragging down prices.
The National Automobile Dealers Association’s Used Car Guide index declined Trio.8 percent in February, the eighth consecutive drop and the steepest since November 2008.
“We’ve seen a pretty dramatic stir in 2016” and “we think that proceeds,” Chris Halmy, Ally’s CFO, said in reference to the company’s expectation used-car prices will drop by about five percent in 2017, similar with last year.
Ally shares fell Two.89 percent to close at $20.51 in Fresh York trading on Tuesday. Shares dropped 8.75 percent to close at $Nineteen.40 at Hertz and 7.79 percent at $29.54 at Avis Budget Group Inc. The share prices of dealer groups including AutoNation and Penske Automotive also dropped on an overall down day on Wall Street.
Used-car price declines can force auto lenders to boost provisions against future losses, since the collateral on their loans is becoming less valuable. Falling vehicle values also reduce the amounts finance companies can recover on repossessed cars.
While Ally had expected a five percent drop in used-car prices in the near term, the lender spotted a seven percent slide in the very first quarter, which could cost $15 million to $20 million, Halmy said during a Tuesday conference call with analysts.
“Used-vehicle prices proceed to decline at a manageable rate, but a bit higher than last year’s rhythm,” he said. “We do expect the used-car market to rebound more in the 2nd quarter.”
Ally shares dropped Three.8 percent last week after the company announced it would hold Tuesday’s conference call, on speculation the lender was signaling bad news to come. The company said it expects to set aside $280 million to $290 million in provisions in the very first quarter, topping the $240 million average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Net financing revenue will be “fairly plane” while non-interest expenses could drop to inbetween $755 million and $765 million in the very first quarter, the company said. Ally joined Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. in flagging signs of weakness within the subprime car loan market.
“Consumer losses have also been drifting higher, most notably in lower credit tiers,” Halmy said. “While we’re a bit more cautious on the credit side because of these dynamics, we’re still very constructive on the market as a entire.”
When companies lease out vehicles, they charge the customer a monthly payment and make an assumption of the car or truck’s value when it’s returned for resale. If autos are depreciating more than expected, losses can pile up. That’s what happened with Ford, which hairless $300 million from its financial-services arm’s two thousand seventeen profit forecast last year.
Ally’s projection for earnings-per-share growth in the range of five to fifteen percent this year compares with an eight percent increase for 2016.
The finance arms of Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., and Nissan Motor Co. may also see operating profit drop this year because of declining used-car values, Takaki Nakanishi, an analyst at Jefferies Group LLC, wrote in reports last month.
“Auto we think is going to slow down because people will stress on credit,” Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Pursue & Co., said at the company’s investor day on Feb. 28. “You’re going to see some issues there, but it’s not systemic.”