GM
GM’s got a lot going on before earnings
General Motors is heading into earnings season with a very mixed bag on the dashboard. Deutsche Bank is now looking for first-quarter EBIT of $2.91 billion, which is a step up from its prior call but still a hair under Wall Street’s consensus. Translation: not a disaster, but not exactly a victory lap either.
The tariff headache is real
The big spoiler here is tariffs. Deutsche Bank thinks they’ll shave about $800 million off Q1 EBIT, which is the kind of number that makes even a giant automaker wince. GM does have some offsets — better EV losses, less warranty pain, and some emissions benefits — but tariffs are still the grumpy passenger in the back seat.
Shareholders get the “we’re doing fine” treatment
GM also has been leaning into shareholder rewards. On Jan. 27, the company announced a new $6 billion buyback and raised its quarterly dividend by 3 cents to 18 cents a share. Nice for income investors, sure — but that’s old news now, so it’s more backdrop than fresh catalyst.
Big picture: the market’s still asking the same question
GM stock has climbed more than 10% over the past month, so bulls are already paying up for a healthier-looking story. The real test is whether earnings can justify that move once tariff costs, EV losses, and all the other automotive plot twists hit the page. Big picture: the road looks smoother than it did a few weeks ago, but the potholes are still there.