GM (GM): The General Fights Back

GM (GM) announced net income of $891 million, or $1.56 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2007, an improvement of $4.3 billion compared with a reported net loss of $3.4 billion, or $5.98 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.

The results beat the hell out of expectations.

GM’s global automotive net income from continuing operations totaled $764 million on an adjusted basis in the second quarter of 2007 (reported net income from continuing operations of $618 million), compared to an adjusted net income of $367 million (reported net loss from continuing operations of $3.48 billion) in the second quarter 2006

GM Europe (GME) posted adjusted net income of $236 million for the quarter (reported net income of $217 million), compared to $143 million in the second quarter of 2006 (reported net loss of $39 million).

GM Asia Pacific (GMAP) recorded adjusted net income of $237 million in the second quarter (reported net income of $227 million), which marks a second- quarter net income record for the region, and compares with $164 million in the same quarter a year ago (reported net income of $376 million, which included $212 million from the sale of GM’s equity interest in Isuzu).

GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East posted its best quarterly net income in a decade with adjusted earnings of $213 million (reported net income also $213 million), compared to $155 million in the same quarter last year (reported net income of $139 million).

Douglas A. McIntyre