8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

____________________

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

October 26, 2006

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

DOLLAR THRIFTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) 1-13647
(Commission
File Number) 73-1356520
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

5330 East 31st Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (918) 660-7700

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act

(17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17

CFR 240.13e-4(c))

ITEM 2.02 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION

On October 26, 2006, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), issued the news release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.34 reporting financial results of the Company for the quarter ended September 30, 2006.

All of the information furnished in Item 2.02 of this report and the accompanying exhibit shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

2

ITEM 9.01FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(c) Exhibits

Exhibit No. Description

99.34 News release reporting Third Quarter Financial Results for 2006, issued by Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. on October 26, 2006

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

DOLLAR THRIFTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, INC.

(Registrant)

October 26, 2006 By: /s/ STEVEN B. HILDEBRAND  

Steven B. Hildebrand

Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial

Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal

Accounting Officer

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit No. Description

99.34 News release reporting Third Quarter Financial Results for 2006, issued by Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. on October 26, 2006

5

EX-99

Press Release Exhibit 99.34

Contacts:

Media: Fred Fleischner Financial: Steve Hildebrand

Vice President Chief Financial Officer

Corporate Communications (918) 669-2288

(918) 669-3086

Fred.Fleischner@dtag.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DOLLAR THRIFTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP REPORTS THIRD QUARTER RESULTS

Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 26, 2006: Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: DTG) today reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006. Total revenue for the third quarter was $487.5 million, up 6.7 percent from the comparable 2005 quarter. Net income for the quarter was $20.6 million, or $0.82 per diluted share, including $0.07 per diluted share of transition costs related to the outsourcing of information technology services. For the comparable 2005 quarter, net income was $28.4 million, or $1.07 per diluted share.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2006, total revenue was $1.3 billion, a 9.3 percent increase over the comparable period in 2005. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 was $57.9 million, or $2.26 per diluted share, compared to $52.7 million, or $2.00 per diluted share for the comparable nine months of 2005.

For the 2006 third quarter, DTG achieved vehicle rental revenue of $454.2 million, an 8.4 percent increase over the 2005 third quarter as a result of a 3.4 percent increase in rental days and a 4.8 percent increase in revenue per day. Same store rental days were down about one percent from last year’s third quarter.

“We were challenged during the third quarter by significantly higher vehicle depreciation and interest costs and weaker domestic air travel as compared to the 2005 third quarter,” Gary L. Paxton, President and Chief Executive Officer, said. “We tightened up our fleet size to better match our capacity to lower than expected demand. We were pleased with the impact of this action which resulted in achieving higher than expected revenue per day and efficient vehicle utilization, although at lower rental day volumes. Net income for the 2006 third quarter benefited from a lower effective income tax rate due primarily to improved Canadian operating results relative to consolidated pretax income.

“We also completed several key initiatives during the quarter to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. These initiatives included the completion of a five-year information services technology agreement and the realignment and streamlining of the management structure. These actions also position the Company for lower costs in the future although in the near term we will incur additional costs to transition to these new structures.

“During the quarter, we made good progress on our franchise acquisition program with the purchase of the Thrifty Car Rental franchises in Phoenix; Columbus and Dayton, Ohio; and Pensacola, Florida; and both the Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car franchise operations in El Paso, Texas. Our franchise acquisition strategy has been very successful and we will continue to acquire locations as they become available at values that meet our return on investment goals.”

During the third quarter, DTG purchased 918,600 shares under its $300 million share repurchase program at a total cost of $39.3 million and has $208 million of remaining authorization to be completed by December 31, 2008.

Outlook

“Barring any travel alerts, we expect the travel environment to be healthy for the balance of the year,” Paxton said. “However, we will continue to be challenged by higher vehicle financing costs and another year of significant vehicle depreciation cost increases and reduced incentives for 2007 model vehicles, which are now being added to our fleet. Automobile manufacturers are constraining sales to the car rental industry and increasing costs. We are continuing to tighten our vehicle capacity in the fourth quarter and press for higher revenue per day. We are encouraged by the strength of pricing that we have seen recently with October and November reservations.

“Our adjusted earnings per share guidance range is $2.10 to $2.20 which is based on achieving fourth quarter revenue per day increases of 7 to 8 percent and for same store rental day volume to be about flat as compared to last year’s fourth quarter, and reflects a weaker used car market. We are adjusting our previous 2006 earnings per share guidance range of $2.25 to $2.55 to reflect the transition costs related to our information services technology outsourcing agreement announced during the quarter. We estimate these costs will reduce 2006 earnings by $0.16 to $0.18 per share. In addition, we are narrowing our 2006 earnings per share guidance range to reflect third quarter results and the current outlook for the fourth quarter.”

Web cast and conference call information

The Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. third quarter 2006 earnings conference call will be held on October 26, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. (central time). Those interested in listening to the conference call live may access the call via Web cast at the corporate Web site, dtag.com, or by dialing 877-922-4779 (domestic) or 210-234-0017 (international) using the pass code “Dollar Thrifty.” An audio replay of the conference call will be available through November 9, 2006, by calling 866-454-9170 (domestic) or 203-369-1254 (international). The replay will also be available via the corporate Web site for one year.

About Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 Company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Driven by the mission “Value Every Time,” the Company's brands, Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental, serve value-conscious travelers in approximately 70 countries. Dollar and Thrifty have over 800 corporate and franchised locations in the United States and Canada including operations at most major airports. The Company's more than 8,600 employees are located mainly in North America, but global service capabilities exist through an expanding international franchise network. For additional information, visit dtag.com.

Some of the statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. believes such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and certain factors could cause results to differ materially from current expectations. These factors include: price and product competition; access to reservation distribution channels; economic and competitive conditions in markets and countries where the companies' customers reside and where the companies and their franchisees operate; natural hazards or catastrophes; incidents of terrorism; airline travel patterns; changes in capital availability or cost; costs and other terms related to the acquisition and disposition of automobiles; systems or communications failures; costs of conducting business and changes in structure or operations; and certain regulatory and environmental matters and litigation risks. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties, among others, materialize, actual results could vary from those estimated, anticipated or projected. Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time.

Table 1

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.
Consolidated Statement of Income
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
Unaudited

			Three months ended						As % of
			September 30,						Total revenues
			2006			2005			2006			2005
Revenues:
	Vehicle rentals			$	454,247		$	419,145		93.2	%		91.8	%
	Vehicle leasing				17,680			19,630		3.6	%		4.3	%
	Fees and services				12,786			14,778		2.6	%		3.2	%
	Other				2,806			3,193		0.6	%		0.7	%
		Total revenues			487,519			456,746		100.0	%		100.0	%
Costs and Expenses:
	Direct vehicle and operating				244,713			230,539		50.2	%		50.5	%
	Vehicle depreciation and lease charges, net				113,715			92,430		23.3	%		20.2	%
	Selling, general and administrative				66,396			61,486		13.6	%		13.5	%
	Interest expense, net				33,005			26,978		6.8	%		5.9	%
		Total costs and expenses			457,829			411,433		93.9	%		90.1	%
Income before income taxes					29,690			45,313		6.1	%		9.9	%
Income tax expense					9,081			16,918		1.9	%		3.7	%
Net income				$	20,609		$	28,395		4.2	%		6.2	%
Earnings per share:
	Basic			$	0.86		$	1.13
	Diluted			$	0.82		$	1.07
Weighted average number
of shares outstanding:
	Basic				23,884,407			25,189,893
	Diluted				25,036,891			26,432,107

Table 1 (Continued)

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.
Consolidated Statement of Income
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
Unaudited

			Nine months ended						As % of
			September 30,						Total revenues
			2006			2005			2006			2005
Revenues:
	Vehicle rentals			$	1,180,682		$	1,067,660		92.5	%		91.5	%
	Vehicle leasing				45,686			49,467		3.6	%		4.2	%
	Fees and services				37,507			39,508		2.9	%		3.4	%
	Other				12,036			10,587		1.0	%		0.9	%
		Total revenues			1,275,911			1,167,222		100.0	%		100.0	%
Costs and Expenses:
	Direct vehicle and operating				659,661			631,150		51.7	%		54.1	%
	Vehicle depreciation and lease charges, net				252,516			200,253		19.8	%		17.2	%
	Selling, general and administrative				195,313			176,470		15.3	%		15.1	%
	Interest expense, net				72,882			69,990		5.7	%		5.9	%
		Total costs and expenses			1,180,372			1,077,863		92.5	%		92.3	%
Income before income taxes					95,539			89,359		7.5	%		7.7	%
Income tax expense					37,676			36,643		3.0	%		3.2	%
Net income				$	57,863		$	52,716		4.5	%		4.5	%
Earnings per share:
	Basic			$	2.37		$	2.10
	Diluted			$	2.26		$	2.00
Weighted average number
of shares outstanding:
	Basic				24,456,656			25,101,071
	Diluted				25,586,734			26,397,426

Table 2

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.
Selected Operating and Financial Data

	Three months ended			Nine months ended
	September 30, 2006			September 30, 2006
OPERATING DATA:
Vehicle Rental Data: (includes new stores)
Average number of vehicles operated		137,481			123,443
% change from prior year		5.7%			6.6%
Number of rental days		10,748,298			28,494,264
% change from prior year		3.4%			5.9%
Vehicle utilization		85.0%			84.6%
Percentage points change from prior year		(1.8) p.p.			(0.5) p.p.
Average revenue per day		$42.26			$41.44
% change from prior year		4.8%			4.4%
Monthly average revenue per vehicle		$1,101			$1,063
% change from prior year		2.5%			3.7%
Same Store Vehicle Rental Data: (excludes new stores)
Average number of vehicles operated		131,513			119,496
% change from prior year		1.1%			3.2%
Number of rental days		10,283,106			27,598,264
% change from prior year		(1.1%)			2.6%
Vehicle Leasing Data:
Average number of vehicles leased		11,866			10,712
% change from prior year		(20.4%	)		(17.1%	)
Monthly average revenue per vehicle		$497			$474
% change from prior year		13.2%			11.5%
FINANCIAL DATA: (in millions) (unaudited)
Non-vehicle depreciation and amortization	$	7		$	20
Non-vehicle capital expenditures (excludes acquisitions)		7			24
Franchise acquisitions		19			30
Cash paid for income taxes		1			14

Selected Balance Sheet Data
(In millions)

	September 30,						December 31,
	2006			2005			2005
	(Unaudited)
Cash and cash equivalents		$	242		$	279		$	274
Restricted cash and investments			260			417			785
Revenue-earning vehicles, net			3,006			2,755			2,215
Total debt (all vehicle debt)			2,984			2,925			2,725
Stockholders' equity			664			677			685