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Investing.com -- Li Auto (NASDAQ:LI)’s U.S.-listed shares slid nearly 4% in premarket trading Friday after the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker issued a revenue forecast that significantly missed analyst expectations, overshadowing its fourth-quarter beat.
For the fiscal Q4 of 2024, the company reported earnings per share (EPS) of RMB3.79, trumping analyst estimates of RMB2.82. Revenue for the period rose 6.1% year-over-year (YoY) to RMB44.27 billion, also exceeding the consensus estimate of RMB43.48 billion.
Li Auto delivered 158,696 vehicles in Q4, marking a 20% increase YoY but falling short of the expected 164,919 units. Vehicle sales totaled RMB42.64 billion, up 5.6% from the previous year and surpassing the RMB39.86 billion estimate.
Gross margin came in at 20.3%, down from 23.5% YoY and below the 21.2% estimate.
“Our record performance in the fourth quarter propelled our full-year deliveries to surpass the 500,000 milestone, making us the first among premium automotive brands in China," commented Mr. Xiang Li, chairman and CEO of Li Auto. "We also maintained our sales leadership position among Chinese automotive brands in the RMB200,000 and above NEV market."
"Looking ahead to 2025, we will launch our next-generation autonomous driving architecture and new BEV models, bringing happiness to more families with enhanced intelligent features and a more diversified product portfolio," he added.
Triggering the negative investor reaction was Li Auto’s forecast for the first quarter of fiscal 2025. The EV maker expects revenue between RMB23.4 billion and RMB24.7 billion in Q1, significantly lower than the consensus estimate of RMB35.44 billion.