General Motors Company (GM), Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW): Euro Auto Sales Hit Multi-Decade Low. Time to Buy?

Buy low, sell high — the mantra everyone knows and seemingly few practice, partly because we often don’t know what constitutes “low” or “high.” Well, consider this one a freebie. European auto sales have hit a 20-year low, and many of the manufacturers based on the continent have stocks suffering drops as well. Investors can take a closer look at these companies, as well as American manufacturers with a large presence in Europe and emerging markets. Let’s try to find some bargains that may have hidden growth stories underneath.

The situation
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, auto sales in the region fell nearly 6% year over year. New car registrations in May hit their lowest number since 1993. Though with exceptions, auto sales in the European Union have fallen for 18 months straight. German auto sales are down 10%.

For the opportunistic investor, these are all mouthwatering indicators of deals on the horizon.

Unemployment is still rising in various regions of the continent, which could spell for lower sales yet — but identifying the exact bottom is not as important as buying with a comfortable margin of safety. Let’s see what the options are.

The players

American investors can compare these companies with General Motors Company (NYSE:GM). The company has rebounded well from its 2009 bankruptcy and looks to be out from under the thumb of the government soon. If the company improves its margins (it’s trying), profitability could become much, much more attractive. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) trades at 7.4 times forward earnings and has an EV/EBITDA of 5.23.

All three have two common theses that investors are wise to examine.

Double-whammy
Whether European sales slowness continues for another few months, or even a year, investors can expect this trend to reverse course. We have seen how the U.S. reacted to its unemployment bottom and recessionary lows and can use this insight to play a similar game in Europe.