General Motors Q4 Earnings Preview: EV Tax Credits, Tariffs, Political Impacts

by Chris Katje Benzinga Staff Writer

Zinger Key Points

President Donald Trump could be a key topic when General Motors reports quarterly financial results Tuesday.
Proposed tariffs and the potential end of the $7,500 EV tax credit could be negative events for General Motors.
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Questions about tariffs, electric vehicles and the new White House administration could dominate General Motors Co GM fourth-quarter financial results Tuesday before market open.

Here's a look at the analyst estimates and key items to watch.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect General Motors to report fourth-quarter revenue of $43.61 billion, up from $42.98 billion in last year's fourth quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The automotive company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in 10 straight quarters.

Analysts expect the company to report fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.86, up from $1.24 in last year's fourth quarter. The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in nine straight quarters.

General Motors raised its full-year earnings per share guidance from a range of $9.50 to $10.50 to a range of $10.00 to $10.50 after third-quarter results.

With $8.64 in earnings through the first three quarters, the company's guidance implies a range of $1.36 to $1.86 for the fourth quarter.

Key Items to Watch: Politics could become one of the key items that investors are watching in General Motors’ financial results, company commentary, and analyst questions.

The company could be one of the losers from President Donald Trump‘s proposed tariffs for Mexico and Canada, two key markets for companies like General Motors making cheaper vehicles for U.S. consumers.

The proposed end of the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles could also be a key talking point. General Motors has heavily focused on electric vehicle growth in recent years, but the expiration of tax credits could pressure margins and lead the company to scale back EV investments.

The company had two of the top 10 selling EVs in the U.S. in 2024 with the Chevrolet Equinox ranking eighth and the Cadillac Lyriq ranking ninth. General Motors was one of the top gainers in EV sales, selling 38,543 more units in the region for the full year.

Recent headlines about General Motors could also be talking points, with the NHTSA launching a probe into 878,000 GM vehicles over engine failure and the FTC banning GM from sharing driver data following allegations of selling sensitive customer information.

Heading into the quarterly financial results, UBS maintained a Buy rating on GM and raised the price target from $62 to $64. Deutsche Bank also upgraded GM from Hold to Buy and raised the price target from $56 to $60.

GM Price Action: General Motors stock was up 1.8% to $54.92 on Monday versus a 52-week trading range of $34.93 to $59.39. General Motors stock is up 54% over the last year.

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