Lithia Motors (LAD) 10-K/A2019 FY Annual report (amended)

The Consolidated Financial Statements, together with the reports thereon of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, are included on the pages indicated below:

There are no schedules required to be filed herewith.

The following exhibits are filed herewith. An asterisk (*) beside the exhibit number indicates the exhibits containing a management contract, compensatory plan or arrangement.

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Lithia Motors, Inc.:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Lithia Motors, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgment. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Lithia Motors, Inc.:

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated February 21, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

The Company acquired nine stores during 2019, and management excluded from its assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, all of these acquired stores’ internal control over financial reporting. The total assets of these nine stores represented approximately 4% of consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2019 and approximately 2% of consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting of the Company also excluded an evaluation of the internal control over financial reporting of these nine stores.

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Portland, Oregon

February 21, 2020

We are one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States and are among the fastest growing companies in the Fortune 500 (#265-2019) with 187 stores representing 30 brands in 19 states. We offer vehicles online and through our nationwide retail network. Our “Growth Powered by People” strategy drives us to innovate and continuously improve the customer experience.

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements reflect the results of operations, the financial position and the cash flows for Lithia Motors, Inc. and its directly and indirectly wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Cash and cash equivalents are defined as cash on hand and cash in bank accounts without restrictions.

Accounts receivable classifications include the following:

Inventories are valued at the lower of net realizable value or cost, using the specific identification method for new vehicles, pooled approach for used vehicles, and the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or market method for parts. The cost of new and used vehicle inventories includes the cost of any equipment added, reconditioning and transportation. Certain acquired inventories are valued using the last-in first-out (LIFO) method. The LIFO reserve associated with this inventory as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 was immaterial.

Manufacturers reimburse us for holdbacks, floor plan interest assistance and advertising assistance, which are reflected as a reduction in the carrying value of each vehicle purchased. We recognize advertising assistance, floor plan interest assistance, holdbacks, cash incentives and other rebates received from manufacturers that are tied to specific vehicles as a reduction to cost of sales as the related vehicles are sold.

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives on the straight-line basis. Leasehold improvements made at the inception of the lease or during the term of the lease are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease.

The cost for maintenance, repairs and minor renewals is expensed as incurred, while significant remodels and betterments are capitalized. In addition, interest on borrowings for major capital projects, significant remodels, and betterments are capitalized. Capitalized interest becomes a part of the cost of the depreciable asset and is depreciated according to the estimated useful lives as previously stated. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we recorded capitalized interest of $2.3 million, $1.3 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

When an asset is retired, or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is credited or charged to income from operations.

Goodwill represents the excess purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired which is not allocable to separately identifiable intangible assets. Other identifiable intangible assets, such as franchise rights, are separately recognized if the intangible asset is obtained through contractual or other legal right or if the intangible asset can be sold, transferred, licensed or exchanged.

Goodwill is not amortized but tested for impairment at least annually, and more frequently if events or circumstances indicate the carrying amount of the reporting unit more likely than not exceeds fair value. We have the option to qualitatively or quantitatively assess goodwill for impairment, and we evaluated our goodwill using a qualitative assessment process. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. Our reporting units are individual stores as this is the level at which discrete financial information is available and for which operating results are regularly reviewed by our chief operating decision maker to allocate resources and assess performance.

We enter into agreements (“Franchise Agreements”) with our manufacturers. Franchise value represents a right received under Franchise Agreements with manufacturers and is identified on an individual store basis.

We evaluated the useful lives of our Franchise Agreements based on the following factors:

Accordingly, we have determined that our Franchise Agreements will continue to contribute to our cash flows indefinitely and, therefore, have indefinite lives.

As an indefinite-lived intangible asset, franchise value is tested for impairment at least annually, and more frequently if events or circumstances indicate the carrying value may exceed fair value. The impairment test for indefinite-lived intangible assets requires the comparison of estimated fair value to carrying value. An impairment charge is recorded to the extent the fair value is less than the carrying value. We have the option to qualitatively or quantitatively assess indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment. We evaluated our indefinite-lived intangible assets using a qualitative assessment process. We have determined the appropriate unit of accounting for testing franchise value for impairment is each individual store.

We expense production and other costs of advertising as incurred as a component of selling, general and administrative expense. Additionally, manufacturer cooperative advertising credits for qualifying, specifically-identified advertising expenditures are recognized as a reduction of advertising expense. Advertising expense and manufacturer cooperative advertising credits were as follows (in millions):

Contract origination commissions paid to our employees directly related to the sale of our self-insured lifetime lube, oil and filter service contracts are deferred and charged to expense in proportion to the associated revenue to be recognized.

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities, their respective tax bases, operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance, if needed, reduces deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

We account for all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction (i.e., sales, use, value-added) on a net (excluded from revenues) basis.

We purchase substantially all of our new vehicles and inventory from various manufacturers at the prevailing prices charged by auto manufacturers to all franchised dealers. Our overall sales could be impacted by the auto manufacturers’ inability or unwillingness to supply dealerships with an adequate supply of popular models.

We depend on our manufacturers to provide a supply of vehicles which supports expected sales levels. In the event that manufacturers are unable to supply the needed level of vehicles, our financial performance may be adversely impacted.

We depend on our manufacturers to deliver high-quality, defect-free vehicles. In the event that manufacturers experience future quality issues, our financial performance may be adversely impacted.

We are subject to a concentration of risk in the event of financial distress, including potential reorganization or bankruptcy, of a major vehicle manufacturer. Our sales volume could be materially adversely impacted by the manufacturers’ or distributors’ inability to supply the stores with an adequate supply of vehicles. We also receive incentives and rebates from our manufacturers, including cash allowances, financing programs, discounts, holdbacks and other incentives. These incentives are recorded as accounts receivable in our Consolidated Balance Sheets until payment is received. Our financial condition could be materially adversely impacted by the manufacturers’ or distributors’ inability to continue to offer these incentives and rebates at substantially similar terms, or to pay our outstanding receivables.

We anticipate continued organic growth and growth through acquisitions. This growth will require additional credit which may be unavailable or with terms unacceptable to us. If these events were to occur, we may not be able to borrow sufficient funds to facilitate our growth.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes to financial statements. Changes in such estimates may affect amounts reported in future periods.

Estimates are used in the calculation of certain reserves maintained for charge-backs on estimated cancellations of service contracts; life, accident and disability insurance policies; finance fees from customer financing contracts and uncollectible accounts receivable.

We also use estimates in the calculation of various expenses, accruals and reserves, including anticipated losses related to workers’ compensation insurance; anticipated losses related to self-insurance components of our property and casualty and medical insurance; self-insured lifetime lube, oil and filter service contracts; discretionary employee bonuses, the Transition Agreement with Sidney B. DeBoer, our Chairman of the Board; warranties provided on certain products and services; legal reserves and stock-based compensation. We also make certain estimates regarding the assessment of the recoverability of long-lived assets, indefinite-lived intangible assets and deferred tax assets.

We offer a limited warranty on the sale of most retail used vehicles. This warranty is based on mileage and time. We also offer a mileage and time based warranty on parts used in our service repair work and on tire purchases. The cost that may be incurred for these warranties is estimated at the time the related revenue is recorded. A reserve for these warranty liabilities is estimated based on current sales levels, warranty experience rates and estimated costs per claim. The annual activity for reserve increases and claims is immaterial. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the accrued warranty balance was $0.6 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

We estimate the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination using various assumptions. The most significant assumptions used relate to determining the fair value of property and equipment and intangible franchise rights.

We estimate the fair value of property and equipment based on a market valuation approach. We use prices and other relevant information generated primarily by recent market transactions involving similar or comparable assets, as well as our historical experience in divestitures, acquisitions and real estate transactions. Additionally, we may use a cost valuation approach to value long-lived assets when a market valuation approach is unavailable. Under this approach, we determine the cost to replace the service capacity of an asset, adjusted for physical and economic obsolescence. When available, we use valuation inputs from independent valuation experts, such as real estate appraisers and brokers, to corroborate our estimates of fair value.

We estimate the fair value of our franchise rights primarily using the Multi-Period Excess Earnings (“MPEE”) model. The forecasted cash flows used in the MPEE model contain inherent uncertainties, including significant estimates and assumptions related to growth rates, margins, general operating expenses, and cost of capital. We use primarily internally-developed forecasts and business plans to estimate the future cash flows that each franchise will generate. We have determined that only certain cash flows of the store are directly attributable to the franchise rights. We estimate the appropriate interest rate to discount future cash flows to their present value equivalent taking into consideration factors such as a risk-free rate, a peer group average beta, an equity risk premium and a small stock risk premium. Additionally, we also may use a market approach to determine the fair value of our franchise rights. These market data points include our acquisition and divestiture experience and third-party broker estimates.

 

We use a relief-from-royalty method to determine the fair value of a trade name. Future cost savings associated with owning, rather than licensing, a trade name is estimated based on a royalty rate and management’s forecasted sales projections. The discount rate applied to the future cost savings factors an equity market risk premium, small stock risk premium, an average peer group beta, a risk-free interest rate and a premium for forecast risk.

The following describes our major product lines, which represent the disaggregation of our revenues to transactions that are similar in nature, amount, timing, uncertainties and economic factors.

Revenue from the retail sale of a vehicle is recognized at a point in time, as all performance obligations are satisfied when a contract is signed by the customer, financing has been arranged or collectibility is probable and the control of the vehicle is transferred to the customer. The transaction price for a retail vehicle sale is specified in the contract with the customer and includes all cash and non-cash consideration. In a retail vehicle sale, customers often trade in their current vehicle. The trade-in is measured at its stand-alone selling price in the contract, utilizing various third-party pricing sources. There are no other non-cash forms of consideration related to retail sales. All vehicle rebates are applied to the vehicle purchase price at the time of the sale and are therefore incorporated

into the price of the contract at the time of the exchange. We do not allow the return of new or used vehicles, except where mandated by state law.

Revenue from service, body and parts sales is recognized upon the transfer of control of the parts or service to the customer. We allow for customer returns on sales of our parts inventory up to 30 days after the sale. Most parts returns generally occur within one to two weeks from the time of sale and are not significant.

We are the obligor on our lifetime oil contracts. Revenue is allocated to these performance obligations and is recognized over time as services are provided to the customer. The amount of revenue recognized is calculated, net of cancellations, using an input method, which most closely depicts performance of the contracts. Our contract liability balances were $171.5 million and $149.6 million as of December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, respectively; and we recognized $25.9 million and $21.9 million of revenue in the years ended December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, respectively, related to our opening contract liability balances. Our contract liability balance is included in accrued liabilities and deferred revenue.

Revenue from finance and insurance sales is recognized, net of estimated charge-backs, at the time of the sale of the related vehicle. As a part of the vehicle sale, we seek to arrange financing for customers and sell a variety of add-ons, such as extended warranty service contracts. These products are inherently attached to the governing vehicle and performance of the obligation cannot be performed without the underlying sale of the vehicle. We act as an agent in the sale of these contracts as the pricing is set by the third-party provider, and our commission is preset. A portion of the transaction price related to sales of finance and insurance contracts is considered variable consideration and is estimated and recognized upon the sale of the contract under the new standard. Our contract asset balance was $8.9 million and $9.2 million as of December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, respectively; and is included in trade receivables and other non-current assets.

While we have determined that each individual store is a reporting unit, we have aggregated our reporting units into 3 reportable segments based on their economic similarities: Domestic, Import and Luxury.

Our Domestic segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, General Motors and Ford. Our Import segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan and Volkswagen. Our Luxury segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The franchises in each segment also sell used vehicles, parts and automotive services, and automotive finance and insurance products.

Corporate and other revenue and income include the results of operations of our stand-alone collision center offset by unallocated corporate overhead expenses, such as corporate personnel costs, and certain unallocated reserve and elimination adjustments. Additionally, certain internal corporate expense allocations increase segment income for Corporate and other while decreasing segment income for the other operating segments. These internal corporate expense allocations are used to increase comparability of our dealerships and reflect the capital burden a stand-alone dealership would experience. Examples of these internal allocations include internal rent expense, internal floor plan financing charges, and internal fees charged to offset employees within our corporate headquarters that perform certain dealership functions.

Accounts receivable consisted of the following (in millions):

The long-term portion of accounts receivable was included as a component of other non-current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The components of inventories consisted of the following (in millions):

The new vehicle inventory cost is generally reduced by manufacturer holdbacks and incentives, while the related floor plan notes payable are reflective of the gross cost of the vehicle.

Property and equipment consisted of the following (in millions):

The following is a roll-forward of goodwill (in millions):

The following is a roll-forward of franchise value (in millions):

Below is a summary of our outstanding balances on credit facilities and long-term debt (in millions):

Effective December 9, 2019, we amended our syndicated credit facility (“credit facility”) increasing the total financing commitment to $2.8 billion and extended the term to January 2025. Our credit facility is comprised of 19 financial institutions, including 7 manufacturer-affiliated finance companies.

We have the option to reallocate the commitments, provided that the used vehicle inventory floor plan financing commitment does not exceed 16.5% of aggregate commitments, the revolving loan commitment does not exceed 18.75% of aggregate commitments, the service loaner floor plan financing commitment does not exceed $100 million, and the sum of these commitments plus the new vehicle inventory floor plan financing commitment does not exceed the aggregate total financing commitment of $2.8 billion. Additionally, we may request an increase in the aggregate new vehicle floor plan commitment of up to $400 million, provided that the aggregate commitment does not exceed $3.2 billion. All borrowings from, and repayments to, our lending group are presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as financing activities.

Our obligations under our credit facility are secured by a substantial amount of our assets, including our inventory (including new and used vehicles, parts and accessories), equipment, accounts receivable (and other rights to payment) and our equity interests in certain subsidiaries. Under our credit facility, our obligations relating to new vehicle floor plan loans are secured only be collateral owned by borrowers of new vehicle floor plan loans under the credit facility.

The interest rate on the credit facility, as amended, varies based on the type of debt, with the rate of one-month LIBOR plus 1.10% for new vehicle floor plan financing, one-month LIBOR plus 1.40% for used vehicle floor plan financing; and a variable interest rate on the revolving financing ranging from the one-month LIBOR plus 1.00% to 2.00%, depending on our leverage ratio. The annual interest rate associated with our new vehicle floor plan commitment was 2.88% at December 31, 2019. The annual interest rate associated with both our used vehicle inventory financing commitment and our revolving line of credit was 3.18% at December 31, 2019.

Under the terms of our credit facility, we are subject to financial covenants and restrictive covenants that limit or restrict our incurring additional indebtedness, making investments, selling or acquiring assets and granting security interests in our assets.

Under our credit facility, we are required to maintain the ratios detailed in the following table:

During 2019 we entered into a revolving line of credit agreement with Chrysler Capital, a program of Chrysler Group LLC and Santander Consumer USA. The revolving line of credit includes a commitment of up to $20.0 million, secured by certain assets from select Chrysler locations. The interest rate on this revolving line is equal to the one-month LIBOR rate plus 1.50%. Along with this new line with Chrysler Capital, we have a revolving line of credit with Ford Motor Credit Company, bringing our other lines of credit to a total financing commitment of $80.0 million. These other lines of credit mature in 2021 and have interest rates up to 7.33%. As of December 31, 2019, 0 amounts were outstanding on these other lines of credit.

We have floor plan agreements with manufacturer-affiliated finance companies for certain new vehicles and vehicles that are designated for use as service loaners. As discussed above in “Operating Activities” in “Liquidity and Capital Resources”, during 2019 we entered a floor plan agreement with Chrysler Capital. This facility provides floor plan financing for new vehicle inventory at select Chrysler stores. This facility adds to our existing facility with Ford Motor Credit Company. The interest rates on these floor plan notes payable commitments vary by manufacturer and are variable rates. As of December 31, 2019, $425.2 million was outstanding on these agreements at interest rates ranging up to 6.25%. Borrowings from, and repayments to, manufacturer-affiliated finance companies are classified as operating activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

 

On July 24, 2017, we issued $300.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.250% Senior Notes due 2025 to eligible purchasers in a private placement under Rule 144A and Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. Interest accrues on the Notes from July 24, 2017 and is payable semiannually on February 1 and August 1. The first interest payment was paid on February 1, 2018. We may redeem the Notes in whole or in part at any time prior to August 1, 2020 at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus a make-whole premium set forth in the Indenture and accrued and unpaid interest. After August 1, 2020, we may redeem some or all of the Notes subject to the redemption prices set forth in the Indenture. If we experience specific kinds of changes of control, as described in the Indenture, we must offer to repurchase the Notes at 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase.

The schedule of future principal payments associated with real estate mortgages, our Senior Notes and other debt as of December 31, 2019 was as follows (in millions):

We have recorded a liability of $57.0 million as of December 31, 2019 for our estimated contractual obligations related to potential charge-backs for vehicle service contracts, lifetime oil change contracts and other various insurance contracts that are terminated early by the customer. We estimate that the charge-backs will be paid out as follows (in millions):

We retain the obligation for lifetime lube, oil and filter service contracts sold to our customers and assumed the liability of certain existing lifetime lube, oil and filter contracts. These amounts are recorded as a contract liability. At the time of sale, we defer the full sale price and recognize the revenue based on the rate we expect future costs to be incurred. As of December 31, 2019, we had a contract liability balance of $172.0 million associated with these contracts and estimate the contract liability will be recognized as follows (in millions):

The contract liability balance is recorded as components of deferred revenue and accrued liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We periodically evaluate the estimated future costs of these assumed contracts and record a charge if future expected claim and cancellation costs exceed the contract liability to be recognized. As of December 31, 2019, we had a reserve balance of $2.9 million recorded as a component of accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The charges associated with this reserve were recognized in 2011 and earlier.

We self-insure a portion of our property and casualty insurance, vehicle open lot coverage, medical insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. Third parties are engaged to assist in estimating the loss exposure related to the self-retained portion of the risk associated with these insurances. Additionally, we analyze our historical loss and claims experience to estimate the loss exposure associated with these programs. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had liabilities associated with these programs of $34.4 million and $39.9 million, respectively, recorded as a component of accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We are party to numerous legal proceedings arising in the normal course of our business. Although we do not anticipate that the resolution of legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows, we cannot predict this with certainty.

The shares of Class A common stock are not convertible into any other series or class of our securities. Each share of Class B common stock, however, is freely convertible into 1 share of Class A common stock at the option of the holder of the Class B common stock. All shares of Class B common stock automatically convert to shares of Class A common stock (on a share-for-share basis, subject to adjustment) on the earliest record date for an annual meeting of our shareholders on which the number of shares of Class B common stock outstanding is less than 1% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock may not be transferred to third parties, except for transfers to certain family members and in other limited circumstances.

Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to 1 vote for each share held of record and holders of Class B common stock are entitled to 10 votes for each share held of record. The Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to shareholders.

At a special meeting of shareholders held on January 21, 2019, Sidney B. DeBoer and the Company executed a Class B Conversion Agreement pursuant to which Mr. DeBoer agreed to cause all of the remaining 1,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock to be converted into shares of our Class A common stock by December 31, 2025. The Class B Conversion Agreement will require the conversion of at least 15% of the 1,000,000 Class B shares by the end of every two years, with the first 15% to be converted by December 31, 2020, a total of 30% by December 31, 2022, a total of 45% by December 31, 2024, and the balance by December 31, 2025. As of December 31, 2019, Lithia Holding Company, L.L.C., held 600,000 shares of our Class B common stock.

Repurchases of our Class A Common Stock occurred under repurchase authorizations granted by our Board of Directors and related to shares withheld as part of the vesting of restricted stock units (“RSUs”).

On October 22, 2018, our Board of Directors approved a $250 million repurchase authorization. Share repurchases under our authorizations were as follows:

As of December 31, 2019, we had $233.6 million available for repurchases pursuant to our share repurchase authorization.

In addition, during 2019, we repurchased 40,356 shares at an average price of $80.39 per share, for a total of $3.2 million, related to tax withholdings associated with the vesting of RSUs. The repurchase of shares related to tax withholdings associated with stock awards does not reduce the number of shares available for repurchase as approved by our Board of Directors.

The following is a summary of our repurchases in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

In the second quarter of 2019, we entered into a structured repurchase agreement involving the use of capped call options for the purchase of our Class A common stock. We paid a fixed sum of $36.5 million upon execution of the agreement in exchange for the right to receive either a pre-determined amount of cash or stock. As of December 31, 2019, the capped call options had expired, and we received $38.9 million in cash.

We declared and paid dividends on our Class A and Class B Common Stock as follows:

We have a defined contribution 401(k) plan and trust covering substantially all full-time employees. The annual contribution to the plan is at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Contributions of $9.8 million, $5.7 million, and $5.8 million were recognized for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Employees may contribute to the plan if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

We offer a non-qualified deferred compensation and supplemental executive retirement plan (the “SERP”) to provide certain employees the ability to accumulate assets for retirement on a tax deferred basis. We may, depending on position, also make discretionary contributions to the SERP. These discretionary contributions could vest immediately or up to seven years based on the employee’s age. Additionally, a participant may defer a portion of his or her compensation and receive the deferred amount upon certain events, including termination or retirement.

The following is a summary related to our SERP (in millions):

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the balance due to participants was $37.9 million and $32.9 million, respectively, and was included as a component of other long-term liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

During 2019, we registered an additional 1,500,000 shares to the 2009 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2009 ESPP”), now allowing for the issuance of 3,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock. The 2009 ESPP is intended to qualify as an “Employee Stock Purchase Plan” under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

Eligible employees are entitled to defer up to 10% of their base pay for the purchase of stock, up to $25,000 of fair market value of our Class A common stock annually. The purchase price is equal to 85% of the fair market value at the end of the purchase period.

Following is information regarding our 2009 ESPP:

Compensation expense related to our 2009 ESPP is calculated based on the 15% discount from the per share market price on the date of grant.

Our 2013 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, (the “2013 Plan”) allows for the grant of a total of 3.8 million shares in the form of stock appreciation rights, qualified stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted share awards and restricted stock unit awards (“RSUs”) to our officers, key employees, directors and consultants. The 2013 Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and permits accelerated vesting of outstanding awards upon the occurrence of certain changes in control. As of December 31, 2019, 1,100,660 shares of Class A common stock were available for future grants. As of December 31, 2019, there were 0 stock appreciation rights, qualified stock options, nonqualified stock options or restricted share awards outstanding.

RSU grants vest over a period of time up to four years from the date of grant. RSU activity was as follows:

We granted 67,152 time-vesting RSUs to members of our Board of Directors and employees in 2019. Each grant entitles the holder to receive shares of our Class A common stock upon vesting. A portion of the RSUs vest over four years, beginning on the second anniversary of the grant date, for employees and vests quarterly for our Board of Directors, over their service period.

Certain key employees were granted 221,609 performance and time-vesting RSUs in 2019. Of these, 167,808 shares were earned based on attaining various target levels of operational performance. Based on the levels of performance achieved in 2019, a weighted average attainment level of 75.7% for these RSUs was met. These RSUs will vest over four years from the grant date.

As of December 31, 2019, unrecognized stock-based compensation related to outstanding, but unvested RSUs was $14.2 million, which will be recognized over the remaining weighted average vesting period of 2.2 years.

We lease certain dealerships, office space, land and equipment. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; we recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We have elected not to bifurcate lease and non-lease components related to leases of real property.

Most leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term from one to 26 or more years. The exercise of lease renewal options is at our sole discretion. Certain leases also include options to purchase the leased property. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements are limited by the expected lease term, unless there is a transfer of title or purchase option reasonably certain of exercise.

Certain of our lease agreements include rental payments based on a percentage of retail sales over contractual levels and others include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

We rent or sublease certain real estate to third parties.

The components of lease costs, which were included in selling, general and administrative in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, were as follows (in millions):

Rent expense, net of sublease income, for all operating leases was $43.3 million and $33.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These amounts are included as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

We account for derivative financial instruments by recording the fair value as either an asset or liability in our Consolidated Balance Sheets and recognize the resulting gains or losses as adjustments to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). We do not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. For derivative instruments that hedge the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss (“AOCI”) in stockholders’ equity and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. To receive hedge accounting treatment, cash flow hedges must be highly effective in offsetting changes to expected future cash flows on hedged transactions.

In the second quarter of 2019, to hedge the business exposure to rising interest rates on a portion of our variable rate debt, we entered into a 5-year, zero-cost interest rate collar, with an aggregate notional amount of $300 million. This instrument hedges interest rate risk related to a portion of our $1.6 billion of non-trade floor plan notes payable.

The gains and losses from the cash flow hedge are recorded in AOCI and released to interest expense in the same period that the hedged interest expense on the floor plan is recognized. As of December 31, 2019, we had a loss of $1.0 million recorded associated with the fair value of our derivative instrument, included as a component of accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities with the offset in AOCI. As of December 31, 2019, the amount of net losses we expect to reclassify from AOCI into interest expense in earnings within the next twelve months is immaterial. However, the actual amount reclassified could vary due to future changes in the fair value of these derivatives. No amounts were reclassified from AOCI in the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.

Factors used in determining the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities are summarized into three broad categories:

We determined the carrying value of cash equivalents, accounts receivable, trade payables, accrued liabilities and short-term borrowings approximate their fair values because of the nature of their terms and current market rates of these instruments. We believe the carrying value of our variable rate debt approximates fair value.

We have fixed rate debt primarily consisting of amounts outstanding under our senior notes and real estate mortgages. We calculated the estimated fair value of the senior notes using quoted prices for the identical liability (Level 1) and calculated the estimated fair value of the fixed rate real estate mortgages using a discounted cash flow methodology with estimated current interest rates based

on a similar risk profile and duration (Level 2). The fixed cash flows are discounted and summed to compute the fair value of the debt. As of December 31, 2019, our real estate mortgages and other debt, which includes finance lease liabilities, had maturity dates between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2038.

We estimate the value of other long-lived assets that are recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis on a market valuation approach. We use prices and other relevant information generated primarily by recent market transactions involving similar or comparable assets, as well as our historical experience in divestitures, acquisitions and real estate transactions. Additionally, we may use a cost valuation approach to value long-lived assets when a market valuation approach is unavailable. Under this approach, we determine the cost to replace the service capacity of an asset, adjusted for physical and economic obsolescence. When available, we use valuation inputs from independent valuation experts, such as real estate appraisers and brokers, to corroborate our estimates of fair value. Real estate appraisers’ and brokers’ valuations are typically developed using one or more valuation techniques including market, income and replacement cost approaches. Because these valuations contain unobservable inputs, we classified the measurement of fair value of long-lived assets as Level 3.

There were no changes to our valuation techniques during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Below are our derivative liabilities that are measured at fair value (in millions):

A summary of the aggregate carrying values, excluding unamortized debt issuance cost, and fair values of our long-term fixed interest rate debt is as follows (in millions):

Below are our goodwill and franchise value amounts measured at fair value (in millions):

Goodwill and franchise value for our reporting units are tested for impairment annually as of October 1 or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. We elected to perform qualitative franchise value and goodwill impairment tests as of October 1, 2019. As a result of these tests, we identified certain reporting units where it was more likely than not the fair value was less than the carrying amount, and recorded non-cash impairment charges of $1.7 million and $0.4 million, which was equal to the difference between the fair value and the carrying value for goodwill and franchise value,

respectively. The non-cash impairment charges are included in “Asset impairments” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and are reported in the “Corporate and Other” category of our segment information.

The income tax provision was as follows (in millions):

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had income taxes payable of $10.1 million and income tax receivable of $17.1 million included as a component of accrued liabilities and other current assets, respectively, in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The reconciliation between amounts computed using the federal income tax rate of 21% in 2019 and 2018, and 35% in 2017 and our income tax provision is shown in the following tabulation (in millions):

Individually significant components of the deferred tax assets and (liabilities) are presented below (in millions):

We consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. We consider the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities (including the impact of available carryback and carryforward periods), projected future taxable income, and tax-planning strategies in making this assessment.

As of December 31, 2019, we had a $0.6 million valuation allowance recorded associated with our deferred tax assets. The entire allowance is associated with state net operating losses generated in previous years. The valuation allowance decreased $0.5 million in the current year as a result of taxable income and the expected realization of these benefits.

As of December 31, 2019, we had state net operating loss (NOL) carryforward amounts totaling approximately $2.2 million, tax effected, with expiration dates through 2039. We believe that it is more likely than not that the benefit from certain state NOL carryforward amounts will not be realized. In recognition of this risk, we have recorded a valuation allowance of $0.6 million on the deferred tax assets relating to these state NOL carryforwards as discussed above. We had $0.2 million, tax effected, in state tax credit carryforwards with expiration dates through 2029. We believe it is more likely than not that the benefits from these state tax credit carryforwards will be realized.

Open tax years at December 31, 2019 included the following:

In 2019, we completed the following acquisitions:

Revenue and operating income contributed by the 2019 acquisitions subsequent to the date of acquisition were as follows (in millions):

In 2018, we completed the following acquisitions:

All acquisitions were accounted for as business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. The results of operations of the acquired stores are included in our Consolidated Financial Statements from the date of acquisition.

The following tables summarize the consideration paid in cash and equity securities for the acquisitions and the preliminary amount of identified assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the acquisition date (in millions):

The purchase price allocations for the 2019 acquisitions are preliminary as we have not obtained all of the detailed information to finalize the opening balance sheet related to real estate purchased, leases assumed and the allocation of franchise value to each reporting unit. Management has recorded the purchase price allocations based on the information that is currently available.

We expect substantially all of the goodwill related to acquisitions completed in 2019 to be deductible for federal income tax purposes.

We account for franchise value as an indefinite-lived intangible asset. We recognized $2.5 million and $4.3 million, respectively, in acquisition related expenses as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The following unaudited pro forma summary presents consolidated information as if the acquisitions had occurred on January 1 of the previous year (in millions, except for per share amounts):