Cars and Drivers
Is Buyout of Pep Boys Going Bad? (PBY, AZO, ORLY)
Published:
Last Updated:
On April 26th, Gores Group LLC asked Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY) to delay a special shareholders meeting by 30 days in order to give the private equity firm time to figure out what has caused the auto parts dealer to turn in such awful numbers for the first quarter. Gores had likely seen the writing on the wall that Pep Boys revealed to the rest of us today.
In a preliminary report on first quarter results, Pep Boys projected revenues of $524-$526 million, sharply lower than the consensus estimate of $558.3 million and EPS in the range of flat to $0.04. In the same period a year ago, Pep Boys showed revenue of $5.135 million and EPS of $0.23. The company had only this to say this morning: “[F]irst quarter results were below expectations due to a variety of factors occurring in the ordinary course of business.”
Competitors Autozone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) and O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) had no such “factor” to report during the first quarter as both handily beat expectations. So what’s up with Pep Boys and the Gores takeover at $15/share?
One analyst told Bloomberg News that Gores was aware of the possible downturn in Pep Boys’ business in January when the acquisition was being discussed:
There is no way [Gores] can pretend that this wasn’t what was represented by management. They will have a tough time getting out of the deal because “they already revised the offer because of recent performance,” [the analyst] said.
But if Gores really has cold feet about the deal and can wangle a way out of it, even temporarily, Pep Boys’ shareholders may not like the results.
Shares of Pep Boys are down about -24% at $11.35 in mid-afternoon today, within a 52-week range of $8.18-$15.46.
Paul Ausick
Travel Cards Are Getting Too Good To Ignore (sponsored)
Credit card companies are pulling out all the stops, with the issuers are offering insane travel rewards and perks.
We’re talking huge sign-up bonuses, points on every purchase, and benefits like lounge access, travel credits, and free hotel nights. For travelers, these rewards can add up to thousands of dollars in flights, upgrades, and luxury experiences every year.
It’s like getting paid to travel — and it’s available to qualified borrowers who know where to look.
We’ve rounded up some of the best travel credit cards on the market. Click here to see the list. Don’t miss these offers — they won’t be this good forever.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.