Trump tariffs take US$1bil bite out of GM earnings

Trump tariffs take US$1bil bite out of GM earnings

General Motors' second-quarter core profit fell by 32%, with more losses expected in the third quarter.

General Motors was among the many corporations to pull its annual guidance as it evaluated the impact of US tariffs. (EPA Images pic)
DETROIT:
General Motors’ second-quarter core profit fell 32% to US$3 billion on Tuesday, as the automaker continued to confront challenging tariff policies, which it said sapped US$1.1 billion from the results.

The automaker’s revenue in the quarter ended June 30 fell nearly 2% to about US$47 billion from a year ago. Its quarterly adjusted earnings per share fell to US$2.53 compared with US$3.06 a year earlier.

Analysts on average expected the company to notch a quarterly adjusted profit of US$2.44 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Shares of the company fell about 3% in premarket trade.

The largest US automaker by sales said it expects the tariff impact to worsen in the third quarter and stuck to a previous estimate that trade headwinds threaten to hit the bottom line by US$4 billion to US$5 billion. GM said it could take steps to mitigate at least 30% of that impact.

GM was among the many corporations to pull its annual guidance as it evaluated the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but eventually reinstated it to a lower annual adjusted core profit of between US$10 billion and US$12.5 billion. The company on Tuesday stood by that guidance.

Beyond tariffs, GM’s underlying business in the quarter was solid. Sales in the US market – its main profit center – rose 7%, while the company continued to command strong pricing on its pickup trucks and SUVs. GM swung back to a small profit in China, after losing money there a year earlier.

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