GM earnings top forecasts, company raises outlook and sees 'variable profit' in EV unit by year-end
General Motors (GM) kept the earnings momentum going with strong first quarter results on Tuesday, as the automaker upped its full-year guidance and said it still sees "positive variable profit" in its electric vehicle business in the back half of 2024.
For the quarter, GM reported top-line revenue of $43.0 billion, more than the $42.09 billion analysts were expecting, according to Bloomberg data. That was a jump of 7% on the same period a year ago and matched the last quarter's $43 billion in sales.
The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.62, above forecasts for $2.12, with adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) of $3.9 billion. GM's Q1 operating profit came in at $3.7 billion, topping estimates for $3.12 billion.
GM shares were up 5% in early trading following the release of the results.
GM's strong performance also resulted in the company lifting its 2024 guidance. The company now sees full-year adjusted EBIT of $12.5 billion-$14.5 billion, up from an outlook of $12 billion-$14 billion previously. Adjusted earnings are now expected to come in between $9.00-$10.00 per share in 2024; GM previously saw full-year EPS between $8.50-$9.50.
GM also boosted its automotive operating cash flow outlook to a range of $18.3 billion-$21.3 billion and adjusted automotive free cash flow to $8.5 billion-$10.5 billion.
"As we continue to strengthen our ICE portfolio, scale EVs, and reinvest in the business, we are very focused on capital efficiency, enhancing profitability and free cash flow, and we will continue to take steps to create shareholder value," GM CEO Mary Barra said in a shareholder letter.
GM CFO Paul Jacobson said in a media call with reporters that boosting GM's guidance following its "strong" first quarter was "the right thing to do.”
Jacobson also added that GM's customers have "been remarkably resilient in a period of higher interest rates."
GM's EV outlook and overall Q1 sales
GM reiterated that it sees "positive variable profit" in its EV business in the second half of 2024, tied to a projection of around 200,000-300,000 EVs sold through the end of the year.
The company expects EBIT margin in the EV business to improve by 60 points from 2023 through 2024, and it sees "mid-single digit EBIT margin" by 2025, when the effect of clean energy tax credits are included.
Jacobson noted in the analyst call that the Cadillac LYRIQ EV is now $12,000 cheaper to make compared to last year due to cheaper battery and module costs, which is a factor in GM seeing some improved contribution margin with its EVs going forward. Jacobson added that scale effects would help GM "harness savings" in the second and third years of production for some EVs.
GM had previously abandoned its goal of building 400,000 EVs through mid-2024. Jacobson said on the media call that GM will "pace ourselves with the customer” when it comes to EV sales, with Barra adding in the analyst conference call that GM is "always going to be responsive to the customer.”
Barra wrote in her letter that leveraging the strength of the traditional gas-powered business allowed the company to grow its EV business over time while still "delivering strong margins and cash flows."
GM reported Q1 sales in the US that topped estimates but were lower compared with a year ago, thanks to lower fleet sales. GM delivered 594,233 vehicles, down 1.5% year over year, while retail sales were up 6%.
GM said it delivered more vehicles than any other automaker in the US during the first quarter.
On the EV front, GM reported notable gains with the Cadillac LYRIQ, Hummer EV, and Silverado EV. The Silverado EV was only available to fleet customers but will begin deliveries to retail customers in “the coming months,” the company said.
Chevrolet’s Blazer EV notched just 500 sales in the quarter, though it only resumed sales in March following a halt in sales due to a software issue. The highly anticipated Equinox EV begins sales later in the second quarter, with prices starting at around $35,000.
Barra said GM is restarting operations at Cruise, its autonomous driving unit, in the Phoenix area, where cars are back on the road. Cruise shut down all operations last year following an accident with a pedestrian and other incidents involving its autonomous vehicles.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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