It's no surprise that Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker $NIO Inc.(NIO)$. Report has suffered since the beginning of the year. The market has been skeptical about both Chinese stocks and EV stocks.
However, Nio recently announced that it will start trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange next week. Wall Street analysts expect this move to mitigate the company's political risk and send its stock on a rally. Here's why.
A Hedge Against Delisting
Chinese regulators are concerned particularly about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's requirement that U.S.-listed companies share data with the agency and allow it to conduct audits of their businesses.
In Nio's case, the company's management has communicated that it will always abide by the rules of U.S. regulators and that it has plans to do its secondary listing in Hong Kong on March 10. Unlike Chinese competitors XPeng$XPeng Inc.(XPEV)$ and $Li Auto(LI)$, whose primary listings are in Hong Kong, Nio has already completed two years of listing on the NYSE and qualifies for a secondary listing in Hong Kong.
Bernstein analyst Eunice Lee recentlywrotethat Nio's listing in Hong Kong could create a hedge against its potential delisting from the NYSE. The main downside of a secondary listing is that Nio would be unable to raise capital by issuing new shares in the next six months. In addition, Nio is also seeking a listing on the Singapore stock exchange.
EV Industry Macro Fears Ahead of Nio's Earnings
Growing inflation… rising interest rates… supply-chain disruptions… should aggravate these global economic headwinds even more.
And these headwinds will directly impact EV makers. For example, $Rivian Automotive, Inc.(RIVN)$ recently announced that it will increase the price of its vehicles by up to 20% to compensate for the high costs it has already absorbed. Nio willreportits earnings on March 24, and investors are apprehensive about what to expect in 2022. How much will all these headwinds impact the company's growth? It's likely that the turbulent macro backdrop will dictate not only Nio's performance in the short and medium terms, but also that of the automotive industry in general.
Is Nio a Double-Bagger?
Even amid the uncertain macroeconomic backdrop, the consensus among Wall Street analysts regarding Nio's stock remains bullish as ever. Analysts think its business fundamentals are at their most attractive multiples since 2020, and political risks are winding up. Nio is currently at a discount of over 64% since its historic peak in January of last year. Based on 13 analysts covering NIO, the consensus is for an average price target of $52.59 over the next 12 months. This implies an upside potential of more than 140%.
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