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GM Second Quarter 2018 Earnings: $2.4 Billion In Income On $36.8 Billion In Revenue

General Motors Company’s second quarter 2018 earnings are headlined by $2.4 billion in income on $36.8 billion in revenue.

The results represent a drop of 2.8 percent in profit compared to the same period a year ago, mostly as a result of rising commodity costs, mostly steel and aluminum, as well as foreign currency devaluation in South America. Commodity pricing resulted in the automaker slashing its forecast.

Overview

GM’s Q2 2018 financial results consist of:

  • EPS-diluted of $1.66 and EPS diluted-adjusted of $1.81
  • Profitability in all core operating segments:
    • GM North America EBIT-adjusted of $2.7 billion and margin of 9.4 percent
    • GM International EBIT-adjusted of $0.1 billion, which includes record equity income in China of $0.6 billion that was partially offset by unfavorable foreign exchange impact in South America
    • GM Cruise EBIT-adjusted of $(0.2) billion, on plan and reflecting continued spending on autonomous as the company moves to commercialization
    • GM Financial EBT-adjusted of $0.5 billion, setting a new record as earning assets grew 12 percent to $90.4 billion, supporting expected long-term earnings growth

Sales Volume & Market Share

Global deliveries were flat in the second quarter of Q2 2017. Market share in the markets that GM participates declined 40 bps year-over-year, driven by decreased share in GM International markets. This was partially offset by strong truck, SUV and CUV sales in the United States.

Revenue

Q2 2018 net revenue was $36.8 billion, down $0.2 billion year-over-year. The decrease was due to:

  • Pricing and trim mix on current generation full-size pickup truck models, and
  • Timing of fleet sales in GMNA, partially offset by continued growth at GM Financial

Income

Second quarter 2018 income from continuing operations was $2.4 billion, down $0.1 billion year-over-year. The decline was primarily driven by pricing and trim mix related to GM’s current-generation full-size pickup truck models and increased commodity costs. It was partially offset by improved performance in GM Financial and in China.

Q2 2018 EBIT-adjusted was $3.2 billion, down $0.5 billion year-over-year. Q2 EBIT-adjusted margin of 8.7% was down 130 bps year-over-year, driven primarily by pricing and trim mix related to the current-generation full-size pickup truck models, and increasing commodity costs. It was partially offset by improved performance in GM Financial and China.

Q2 EPS-diluted was $1.66 per share, up $0.06 year-over-year. EPS-diluted adjusted was $1.81 per share, down $0.08 year-over-year.

Cash Flow

Q2 adjusted automotive free cash flow was $2.6 billion, in-line with GM’s expectations, but down $0.2 billion year-over-year, primarily due to lower EBIT-adjusted performance and partially offset by favorable managed working capital.

ROIC

Return on invested capital-adjusted (ROIC-adjusted) of 24.7 percent was down 570 bps year-over-year, primarily due to lower
earnings but well above the 20 percent ROIC-adjusted target in GM’s capital allocation framework.

Forecast

GM stated that recent and significant increases in commodity costs, along with unfavorable foreign exchange impact of the Argentine peso and Brazilian real, have negatively affected business expectations.

As a result, the company expects these unfavorable conditions to continue through 2018, causing it to revise its full-year outlook to the following:

  • EPS diluted of approximately $5.14
  • EPS diluted-adjusted of approximately $6
  • Auto Operating Cash Flow to approximately $11.5 billion
  • Adjusted Auto Free Cash Flow to approximately $4 billion

“We face significant external challenges, but delivered solid results the quarter,” said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO, in a statement. “The fundamentals of our business are strong and we remain focused on our plan — delivering great vehicles, developing technologies to transform personal mobility and creating long-term shareholder value.”

GM sources more than 90 percent of its steel and aluminum from the U.S., but the costs of these materials have risen as the Trump administration has imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. GM did not expect the prices of these materials to increase as much as they did.

GM North America

Rising commodity costs negatively impacted GM’s bottom line in North America, the automaker’s biggest and most important unit. GM reported it made $2.7 billion on North American business in Q2, down from $3.5 billion a year ago.

Over 758,000 GM vehicles were sold in the U.S. in Q2, a 4.6 percent increase compared to the same period a year ago.

GM International

GM made $143 million from international business during Q2 2018. The automaker made a record second-quarter income of $592 million in China, which were offset by unfavorable currency devaluations in South America.

GM’s profits had taken a hit in the first quarter due to planned downtime for pickup production and an aggressive restructuring effort in South Korea.

GM Cruise

GM’s autonomous vehicle and mobility division, now referred to as GM Cruise, lost $154 million in the second quarter.

The division had no revenue as GM continues to spend in order to “progress toward the commercialization of an autonomous ride-sharing fleet.”

The General continues to expect to spend approximately $1 billion on GM Cruise for the full 2018.

GM Financial

GM Financial, the automaker’s captive finance arm, made $536 million during the second quarter.

Revenue was $3.5 billion, up $0.5 billion year-over-year. The division set a second quarter EBT-adjusted record from continuing
operations of $0.5 billion, up $0.2 billion. This was primarily due to portfolio growth, stable credit performance and better residual performance.

GM expects GMF to have a weaker second half of 2018 than the first half as a result of residual value pressure from expected seasonally weaker used vehicle values and an increasing supply of off-lease vehicles. However, the automaker also stated that it expects “a meaningful improvement in GM Financial earnings versus the prior year.”

GM Financial’s earning assets grew $9.9 billion to $90.4 billion in Q2 2018, and U.S. retail penetration improved by 280 bps year-over-year to 45 percent, due to further alignment with GM and greater dealer engagement.

GMF states that that key credit metrics remain stable as net charge-offs as a percentage of retail finance receivables was flat year-over-year.

Legend

  • EPS: Earnings Per Share
  • EBIT: Earnings Before Interest and Taxes
  • EBT: Earnings Before Taxes

GM Authority Executive Editor with a passion for business strategy and fast cars.

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Comments

  1. Is this NET on earnings or GROSS ?? As is reported this is only 7 % and if there are many EXPENSES to take off of this , the return may be poor indeed ! Please explain !!

    Reply
    1. If I understand your question correctly, the “gross” earnings you are referring to is the revenue figure of $36.8 billion, while the “net earnings” is the actual earnings (profit) figure of $2.4 billion.

      Revenue – Expenses = Profit (earnings) in accounting terminology.

      Or are you asking something else entirely?

      Reply
  2. General Motors blames Trump’s tariff war with the European Union as the cause for lower profits because of higher steel prices; but it appears if GM is speaking out of both sides of their mouth as it wasn’t very long ago they said the effect would be small given that the higher prices on imported steel is of low grade while GM is using high tech steel alloys which is stronger and lighter.

    Reply
    1. Trump is an embarrassment to the United States. If you think 300M mostly broke consumers are the future you are sadly mistaken.

      Asia is the future. America sold their integrity and self respect to make it happen. No amount of trumpco threats will alter what the ultimate outcome is.

      We are the next GB or Australia. Little manufacturing, if any, and citizens lamenting about how they were once great nations.

      Reply
    2. The problem is that the trade war has resulted in higher prices of steel and aluminum both abroad and in the U.S., which is something GM didn’t anticipate when making the comment you are referencing.

      Reply
      1. In a global economy, ‘protectionist’ policies ALWAYS lead to higher international AND domestic commodity prices in the country that imposes them. This is Macro-economics 101.

        The domestic market suppliers can INCREASE prices because the International competition is forced to increase prices by way of govt imposed TARIFFS. Why? Because Commodities invariably operate at the highest levels of competition, with the slimmest margins. A major upset like the imposition of a commodity TARIFF upsets the “equilibrium”, unsettling pricing until a new market reality sets in ie. higher overall prices (slightly advantaging the domestic provider).

        Tariffs ARE, and will always be, ANTI-COMPETITION, ie. higher prices for the end consumer because domestic companies can only absorb a small increase to remain competitive, and that strategy alone may even fly in the face of shareholder will and desire to increase profits (“dividends”).

        What Trump wanted to do was protect JOBS, but tariffs are way too blunter tool to achieve that.

        Reply
        1. Haha, down voters need an education in the Schumpeterian Framework.

          Reply
  3. Buisness hates tariffs both ways. They complain about the ones other countries have and they hate it when we do it. Nothing new.

    What is going on now is a short term deal that will result in some chest thumping that will turn to negotiations. China can not handle long term trade disruptions as it will crash their fragile economy. We also do not want to crash them either as it would effect us.

    This will draw everyone to the table and get us some concessions to help us after decades of giving away our economy.

    We will not get everything we ask but we will see some more balance to where it will help our economy over the long haul.

    Todd you must be young as you appear to not under stand we already are on the path of GB now. That is why it is time to act now before it is too late.

    Reply
  4. I don’t recall the Cash flow and ROIC being in the write up when I posted my comment . Results look okay , though .The only thing that is not in the equation , that I can see , is unsold stock on hand . Perhaps Alex could explain how the sales are figured , is it on what is shipped to the dealers , or what sales are reported by the dealers ? Perhaps a silly question but if it is what is shipped to dealers , how long do they have to pay for the stock , once it arrives and finally most importantly , how is the turnover computed ? Turnover is the key to the strength of any retail business , how goes the battle here ?

    Reply
    1. Jim – thanks for the question.

      The sales/delivery figures are units marked as delivered to the customer by the dealer. They are not “in channel” or “inventory” units, which are unsold. So in your question, it’s the latter option of “sales being reported by the dealers”.

      Subsequently, the question about the turnover is officially referred to as “days to turn”, “age of inventory age” and days supply. All three are different sides of the same coin.

      As it relates to GM, the U.S. dealer inventory decreased 193,000 units in Q2 2018 over Q2 2017. GM ended the quarter at 83 days’ supply, but this number might be a bit misleading since they have built inventory of last-generation trucks while the new trucks are not out yet. The U.S. is the only market for which GM reports days supply.

      Hope that helps! Please reply with any other questions, I’m always happy to discuss this stuff 🙂

      Reply
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