A surprising bull case for General Motors
Updated
GM has been a company in decline for many years, and the coronavirus hasn't helped matters. Over the last three years, EPS shrank about 8.5% annually and SPS about 2% annually. The coronavirus caused GM to suspend its dividend, which at over 6% was the main reason for owning the stock. GM's stock price tanked hard, and I have to say-- based on current consensus estimates, GM has some absolutely *terrible* PEG and PSG ratios. Ordinarily I would short this stock hard.
However, the times may be a' changing for GM. Today the company absolutely walloped Wall Street estimates for Q2, with revenue 3.6% above expectations, and a loss per share that was only a third of the loss the Street expected. Guidance given on the conference call for the second half of the year is for $4-5 billion EBITDA, roughly 50% above the current Wall Street estimate. GM burned $8 billion in cash in Q2, but expects to generate $8 billion in the back half of the year, allowing the company to pay off the $16 billion revolving credit line it took out earlier this year. I should point out that all this guidance was tentative and contingent on continued economic recovery. But if it pans out, then I think we could see at least a partial restoration of GM's dividend early next year.
On the macroeconomic front, I see lots of signs that the auto market may continue to recover. Although revolving credit (e.g. credit cards) has been in decline during the pandemic, non-revolving credit (e.g. home and auto loans) has actually increased. Loan rates have been falling, and consumers are taking advantage of low rates to snap up homes. Home-buying data have blown out analyst expectations for the last couple months. What's good for homes should also be good for autos. Auto sales in June recovered slowly, from -30.2% YoY in May to -28.7% YoY in June. Auto sales are expected to show faster recovery in next week's July retail sales report, around -18% YoY. Fleet sales are expected to improve from -70% in June to -40% in July.
(Why bet on autos rather than homes? Because homes are supported by a government eviction ban that will be repealed at some uncertain future date, making that market risky. In the auto market, I have more faith that the numbers we're seeing reflect real market fundamentals. Here's another thought: with Americans moving out of cities and into suburbs and avoiding mass transit, auto demand may increase on permanent basis.)
Perhaps more importantly, GM's CEO said she expects "exciting updates" for GM's "Cruise" self-driving unit in the second half of the year. GM is a technology leader in the self-driving space, with only Google's Waymo ahead of it in the technology race. The self-driving unit thus may hold the key to a turnaround in GM's long, multi-year earnings slump. Some positive headlines from this unit would be a huge relief for embattled GM investors, and might even create some excitement around future growth.
For the near term, note that GM is currently trading in a triangle and is near the bottom of the triangle range, making this an attractive buy point with some technical support. In coming days I'd expect to see some analyst upgrades and upward earnings revisions on GM as analysts digest the optimistic guidance from the earnings call. I suspect we'll test the top of the triangle in the next two weeks, and perhaps break out the upper side in the event of a July auto sales beat.
However, the times may be a' changing for GM. Today the company absolutely walloped Wall Street estimates for Q2, with revenue 3.6% above expectations, and a loss per share that was only a third of the loss the Street expected. Guidance given on the conference call for the second half of the year is for $4-5 billion EBITDA, roughly 50% above the current Wall Street estimate. GM burned $8 billion in cash in Q2, but expects to generate $8 billion in the back half of the year, allowing the company to pay off the $16 billion revolving credit line it took out earlier this year. I should point out that all this guidance was tentative and contingent on continued economic recovery. But if it pans out, then I think we could see at least a partial restoration of GM's dividend early next year.
On the macroeconomic front, I see lots of signs that the auto market may continue to recover. Although revolving credit (e.g. credit cards) has been in decline during the pandemic, non-revolving credit (e.g. home and auto loans) has actually increased. Loan rates have been falling, and consumers are taking advantage of low rates to snap up homes. Home-buying data have blown out analyst expectations for the last couple months. What's good for homes should also be good for autos. Auto sales in June recovered slowly, from -30.2% YoY in May to -28.7% YoY in June. Auto sales are expected to show faster recovery in next week's July retail sales report, around -18% YoY. Fleet sales are expected to improve from -70% in June to -40% in July.
(Why bet on autos rather than homes? Because homes are supported by a government eviction ban that will be repealed at some uncertain future date, making that market risky. In the auto market, I have more faith that the numbers we're seeing reflect real market fundamentals. Here's another thought: with Americans moving out of cities and into suburbs and avoiding mass transit, auto demand may increase on permanent basis.)
Perhaps more importantly, GM's CEO said she expects "exciting updates" for GM's "Cruise" self-driving unit in the second half of the year. GM is a technology leader in the self-driving space, with only Google's Waymo ahead of it in the technology race. The self-driving unit thus may hold the key to a turnaround in GM's long, multi-year earnings slump. Some positive headlines from this unit would be a huge relief for embattled GM investors, and might even create some excitement around future growth.
For the near term, note that GM is currently trading in a triangle and is near the bottom of the triangle range, making this an attractive buy point with some technical support. In coming days I'd expect to see some analyst upgrades and upward earnings revisions on GM as analysts digest the optimistic guidance from the earnings call. I suspect we'll test the top of the triangle in the next two weeks, and perhaps break out the upper side in the event of a July auto sales beat.
Note
GM broke out the bottom side of its triangle today after several pieces of bad news. The labor market is deteriorating, with a big miss on continuing jobless claims yesterday. Consumer confidence and personal income missed estimates today. Good results from Ford mean that GM faces some stiff competition. Keep in mind that GM's guidance was contingent on economic recovery continuing in the back half of 2020. With trend line support broken, we may hit volume support at $21.61 this month.
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