General Motors is seeking to regain Wall Street’s confidence leading into 2024 with several investor-focused initiatives Wednesday following a tumultuous year of labor strikes and setbacks in its plans for electric and autonomous vehicles.
The Detroit automaker plans to increase its quarterly dividend next year by 33% to 12 cents per share; initiate an accelerated $10 billion share repurchase; and reinstate its 2023 guidance to include an estimated $1.1 billion earning before interest and tax, or EBIT-adjusted, impact from roughly six weeks of U.S. labor strikes by the United Auto Workers union.
GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement said the company is finalizing a budget for next year that will “fully offset the incremental costs of our new labor agreements and the long-term plan we are executing includes reducing the capital intensity of the business, developing products even more efficiently, and further reducing our fixed and variable costs.”
GM’s reinstated 2023 guidance also includes:
- Net income attributable to stockholders of $9.1 billion to $9.7 billion, compared to a previous outlook of $9.3 billion to $10.7 billion.
- Adjusted EBIT of $11.7 billion to $12.7 billion, compared to the previous outlook of $12.0 billion to $14.0 billion.
- Adjusted earnings per share of roughly $7.20 to $7.70 including the stock buyback, compared to the previous outlook of $7.15 to $8.15.
- EPS in the $6.52 to $7.02 range, including the stock buyback, compared to the previous outlook of $6.54 to $7.54
- Adjusted automotive free cash flow of $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion, compared to the previous outlook of $7.0 billion to $9.0 billion
- Net automotive cash provided by operating activities of $19.5 billion to $21.0 billion, compared to the previous outlook of $17.4 billion to $20.4 billion
GM pulled its guidance when it reported its third-quarter earnings on Oct. 24, citing volatility caused by the UAW negotiations and labor strikes. The work stoppages ended Oct. 30 when the sides reached a tentative deal.
Before the UAW strikes, CFO Paul Jacobson said the company was on track to achieve “toward the upper half” of its earnings forecast.
At that time, GM said strikes by the UAW cost the automaker roughly $800 million in pretax earnings due to lost vehicle production, including $200 million during the third quarter.
GM said Wednesday it now anticipates 2023 capital spending to be between $11.0 billion and $11.5 billion, down from prior guidance of between $11 billion and $12 billion, driven by the previously announced retiming of certain products and more capital-efficient investment.
Many of those impacted products were electric vehicles. Barra in a letter to shareholders Wednesday said she was “disappointed” in the company’s production this year of its next-generation EVs, known as Ultium vehicles.
She also said the automaker is “addressing challenges” at its majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise.
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