Stellantis N.V. (STLA) Is Investing in BEVs: Should You Buy STLA Now?

We recently published a list of the 10 Most Profitable European Stocks to Invest In. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) stands against the other profitable European stocks.

How Could Trump’s Trade Tariffs Impact Europe?

After the U.S. Presidential elections, the global economies might face trade tariff tribulation as the Trump administration is expected to accelerate the trade war. China and Europe are especially expecting Trump’s potential trade policies that can heat the trade war. In addition, the rising perturbation around Germany’s upcoming snap election is a sign of worry for investors. Since the US elections, European stocks have retreated, outflows have increased, and the euro has slid against the U.S. dollar.

According to the European Central Bank’s chief economist, Philip Lane, if global trade feels more of a burden, the global economic output would suffer a sizable loss. “Trade fragmentation entails sizeable output losses,” said Lane, during a speech in Amsterdam. Lane anticipates a potential hit on the global output at between 2%, in case of partial trade restrictions, and almost 10% if a full ban is imposed.

Furthermore, the leading banks including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Citi have pointed out the euro as one of the most vulnerable currencies to Trump’s tariff agenda. Considering the region’s manufacturing exports and dependence on China, Europe could be exposed to trade tariff consequences.

READ ALSO: Jim Cramer’s Latest Lightning Round: 11 Stocks to Watch and Jim Cramer on AMD and Other Stocks.

The United Kingdom’s inflation rate fell noticeably to 1.7% in September, just below the ECB’s 2% target for the first time since April 2021. On November 7, the Bank of England announced the rate cut by 25 basis points, bringing its key rate to 4.75%. The U.K.’s central bank has cut rates by a combined 75 basis points to 3.25% in 2024 so far. Investors expect the central bank to further cut rates during the next meeting in December.

Europe’s stock market has some interesting stocks that investors would want to keep in their portfolios to avoid too much concentration on U.S. assets. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 has plunged nearly 2% since the U.S. elections, however, the index is up 11% over the last year, as of November 23.

With that, let’s take a look at how profitable Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) has been over the years.

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) Is Investing in BEVs: Should You Buy STLA Now?

A factory worker using an ultra-sensitive pixel-based sensor while working on an automobile.

Our Methodology

To compile our list of the 10 most profitable European stocks to invest in, we scanned European stocks through Finviz Screener using two indicators. We shortlisted the stocks with a minimum net income of $1 billion or more in the trailing twelve months (TTM) and with a 5-year net income compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 15%. From that list, we narrowed our choices to the 10 stocks that analysts see the most upside to. The list is ranked in ascending order of analysts’ average upside potential, as of November 22.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA)

Upside Potential: 18.28%

5-Year Net Income CAGR: 33.14%

TTM Net Income: $19.49 Billion

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) is a holding firm based out of the Netherlands and is a top automaker and mobility provider around the world. Stellantis is a well-established name in the global market and owns famous brands including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia and Ram. The company is mainly involved in designing, engineering, manufacturing, distributing, and selling vehicles.

In Q3, Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) results were on the downside as the company’s consolidated shipments declined by nearly 20% or 279,000 units year-over-year. However, recently, the company introduced STLA Frame, which is part of the Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 plan and added it to the lineup of global battery electric vehicle (BEV) platforms intending to achieve diverse electrification needs. The company is investing over €50 billion in electrification to obtain 100% BEV passenger car sales in Europe and 50% in the U.S. by 2030.

The company has industrial operations in over 20 countries and dealers in more than 130 countries. Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) operates in both luxury and mainstream passenger vehicle markets which include pickup trucks to SUVs. The company’s strong global footprint makes it a solid automobile stock for the long term.

Ariel Global Fund stated the following regarding Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:

“Lastly, shares of multinational automotive manufacturing company, Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) declined following a significant earnings miss. The company attributed the performance to lower sales, production disruptions from a product overhaul and weak performance in North America. Muted demand for electric vehicles in Europe also weighed on performance. In response, STLA is implementing operational improvement initiatives to bring down U.S. inventory levels through production cuts, consumer incentives and gradual price adjustments. Despite these results, management maintained its previous buyback and dividend commitments. Although we expect discounting to increase as U.S. inventory ages, we maintain a constructive view on the company. We believe STLA’s strong global footprint and commitment to industry-leading profitability, operational excellence, and strategic foresight will continue to enhance long-term shareholder value.”

Overall, STLA ranks 7th on our list of most profitable European stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of STLA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than STLA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.