Both Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) stocks have performed far less well. Ford stock is up 8.25% and GM stock is up just 4.3% over the past 12 months. It is worth noting that given GM’s massive number of recalls in 2014 it is something of a miracle that the stock is up at all.
One simple comparison that helps explain the difference in stock price among these companies is their profit margin. BMW’s profit margin is almost 7.5% and Daimler’s is nearly 6%. Ford’s is about 2.2% and GM’s is 1.9%, according to Macroaxis. Even though both Ford and GM sell more vehicles than either BMW or GM, Daimler’s market cap is the largest among these four and BMW’s is second largest.
What we might infer from this is that selling premium-priced cars is a pretty good business. Neither Ford, with its Lincoln brand, nor GM’s Cadillac brand poses any threat to either of the German carmakers.
The luxury car business has been booming in the past few years, largely as a result of skyrocketing sales in China. BMW sold about 456,000 cars in China last year and Mercedes-Benz sold nearly 282,000. Both trail Audi’s total of around 579,000 in the Middle Kingdom. Since 2011, Audi’s sales are up about 85% in China, BMW’s are up 96% and Mercedes sales are up 46%.
Ford and its Chinese joint ventures sold 1.11 million vehicles in China in 2014. GM and its joint ventures in China sold more than 3.5 million. The big U.S. carmakers will continue to sell millions of low-priced and moderately priced vehicles, but both have lost virtually any hold at all on the luxury end of the market.
ALSO READ: The Best Family Cars for 2015
The Average American Is Losing Their Savings Every Day (Sponsor)
If you’re like many Americans and keep your money ‘safe’ in a checking or savings account, think again. The average yield on a savings account is a paltry .4% today, and inflation is much higher. Checking accounts are even worse.
Every day you don’t move to a high-yield savings account that beats inflation, you lose more and more value.
But there is good news. To win qualified customers, some accounts are paying 9-10x this national average. That’s an incredible way to keep your money safe, and get paid at the same time. Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other one time cash bonuses, and is FDIC insured.
Click here to see how much more you could be earning on your savings today. It takes just a few minutes and your money could be working for you.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
