FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -

Part of a timeframe in which the company posted a record for earnings per share from continuing operations in a third quarter, AutoNation retailed more used vehicles and generated more revenue and gross profit on those models.

The company reported on Thursday that its dealerships turned 3.2 percent more used vehicles during the third quarter, moving 45,643 units.

Year-over-year, AutoNation’s third-quarter used-vehicle revenue per unit ticked up 0.7 percent, leaving the company’s gross profit figure at $1,588 per unit, an amount 4.2 percent higher than a year earlier.

The performance helped AutoNation post third-quarter net income from continuing operations of $82 million or $0.66 per share, compared to net income from continuing operations of $71 million or $0.48 per share for the same period in the prior year. The rise represented a 38-percent improvement on a per-share basis.

The company’s third-quarter revenue totaled $3.93 billion, compared to $3.51 billion in the year-ago period, an increase of 12 percent. Officials said the gain was driven primarily by stronger retail new-vehicle unit sales.

AutoNation’s retail new-vehicle unit sales increased 21 percent.  Based on CNW Research data, in the third quarter, total U.S. industry retail new-vehicle unit sales increased 15 percent.

The retailer's chairman and chief executive officer, Mike Jackson, said, “We delivered solid double-digit growth in operating income and EPS from continuing operations in the third quarter of 2012 as we drove increased profitability in each of our business sectors.

“We continued to see a strong new-vehicle selling environment in the third quarter, reflected in a seasonally adjusted U.S. industry annual selling rate of 14.5 million units.  We are expecting industry new vehicle sales to be mid-14 million units in 2012,” Jackson went on to say.

AutoNation reiterated that it has three operating segments: domestic, import and premium luxury.

The domestic segment is comprised of stores that sell vehicles manufactured by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

The import segment is comprised of dealerships that sell vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Nissan.

The premium luxury segment is comprised of stores that sell vehicles manufactured primarily by Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

Segment results for the third quarter were as follows:

—Domestic: Segment income was $52 million compared to year-ago segment income of $47 million. Third-quarter domestic retail new-vehicle unit sales increased 9 percent.

—Import: Segment income was $69 million compared to year-ago segment income of $61 million. Third-quarter import retail new-vehicle unit sales increased 35 percent as sales normalized from the tsunami effects from the prior year.

—Premium luxury: Segment income was $63 million compared to year-ago segment income of $53 million. Third-quarter premium luxury retail new-vehicle unit sales increased 11 percent.

For the nine-month period that ended Sept. 30, the company reported adjusted net income from continuing operations of $237 million or $1.88 per share, compared to net income from continuing operations of $214 million or $1.43 per share for the same period in the prior year, an improvement of 31 percent on a per-share basis.

On a GAAP basis, AutoNation determined its net income from continuing operations for the nine-month period was $234 million or $1.85 per share.

The company's revenue for the nine-month period totaled $11.50 billion, up 13 percent compared to $10.15 billion for the same period in the prior year.