Shares of Large-cap Auto Manufacturers company Li Auto were up 3.4% during today's afternoon session, as the S&P 500 posted a -0.0% change. Today's upwards movement shows that investor interest in LI stock is strong -- but how closely have they studied the company's margins?
While Li Auto's gross margins for the last year are positive, we are concerned that the company's operating margins are in the red. Gross margins take into account only the cost of revenue, or variable costs -- meaning the cost directly associated with producing the products or providing the service offered by the company.
Operating margins, on the other hand, take into account the company's overhead as well. Overhead, also called fixed costs, includes the company's rent, salaries for personnel not included in cost of revenue, equipment and supplies, amortization, and depreciation. Operating margins tell you about how efficiently Li Auto is run, and gross margins tell you how profitable its product line is.
| Date Reported | Revenue ($ k) | Cost of Revenue ($ k) | Gross Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12-31 | 45,286,816 | 36,496,360 | 19.41 | -9.0 |
| 2021-12-31 | 27,009,779 | 21,248,325 | 21.33 | 30.22 |
| 2020-12-31 | 9,456,609 | 7,907,270 | 16.38 | 54700.0 |
| 2019-12-31 | 284,367 | 284,462 | -0.03 | n/a |
| Date Reported | Total Revenue ($ k) | Operating Expenses ($ k) | Operating Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12-31 | 45,286,816 | 12,445,333 | -8.07 | -114.06 |
| 2021-12-31 | 27,009,779 | 6,778,774 | -3.77 | 46.75 |
| 2020-12-31 | 9,456,609 | 2,218,676 | -7.08 | 98.91 |
| 2019-12-31 | 284,367 | 1,840,453 | -647.24 | n/a |
The table above tells us that, on average, Li Auto has not been profitable over the last four years, which should be a warning sign to prospective investors. One bright spot, however, is that the company's operating margins are growing at an average yearly rate of 66.6%.
