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How to buy General Motors (GM) shares in Australia

Learn how to easily invest in General Motors shares.

General Motors Company is an auto manufacturers business with stocks listed in the US. General Motors shares (GM) are listed on the NYSE and all prices are listed in US Dollars. Its last market close was US$47.87 – an increase of 4.79% over the previous week. Here's how to invest if you're based in Australia.

How to buy shares in General Motors

  1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company listed in the US from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. Look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
  2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, which will typically include your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
  3. Search for General Motors. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: GM. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment that matches your financial goals.
  4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until General Motors reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying using consistent intervals and amounts.
  5. Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of US$47.69, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of General Motors, depending on your broker.
  6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of General Motors. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights.

General Motors shares at a glance

Information last updated 2024-10-13.
52-week range US$26.0139 - US$50.3742
50-day moving average US$46.1028
200-day moving average US$43.4916
Target price US$54.78
PE ratio 5.3787
Dividend yield US$0.42 (1%)
Earnings per share (TTM) US$8.9

General Motors share growth calculator

US$

Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.

General Motors price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the last close of $47.87

1 week (2024-10-07) 4.11%
1 month (2024-09-13) 3.39%
3 months (2024-07-12) -2.33%
6 months (2024-04-12) 11.12%
1 year (2023-10-13) 61.40%
2 years (2022-10-13) 46.12%
3 years (2021-10-13) -17.14%
5 years (2019-10-14) 34.85%

Compare trading platforms to buy General Motors shares

Name Product AUFST Standard brokerage for US shares Currency conversion fee Asset class
eToro
Exclusive
eToro
US$2
150 pips
ASX shares, Global shares, US shares, ETFs
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Tiger Brokers
Finder AwardExclusive
Tiger Brokers
US$1.99
55 pips
ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
Finder exclusive: Get 10 no-brokerage US or ASX trades in the first 180 days, plus US$30 NVDA shares (+US$30 TSLA shares ) when you deposit AU$2000 or more. Get 7% p.a. on uninvested cash for 30 days. T&Cs apply.
Trade US, Asian and CHESS-sponsored ASX stocks and US options.
CMC Invest
Finder Award
CMC Invest
US$0
0.60%
ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
$0 brokerage on US, UK, Canadian and Japanese markets (FX spreads apply).
Trade over 45,000 shares and ETFs from Australia and 15 major global markets. Plus, buy Aussie shares or ETFs for $0 brokerage up to $1,000 (First buy order of each security, each day - excludes margin loan settled trades).
Moomoo Share Trading
US$0.99
55 pips or 0.0055 AUD/USD
ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
Finder exclusive: Unlock up to AUD$4,000 AND US$4,000 in $0 brokerage over 60 days. T&Cs apply.
Trade US, Asian and CHESS-sponsored ASX stocks and get access to social trading
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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy General Motors stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. However, this is not a recommendation. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Is General Motors under- or over-valued?

Valuing General Motors stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of General Motors's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

General Motors's P/E ratio

General Motors's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 5x. In other words, General Motors shares trade at around 5x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

General Motors's PEG ratio

General Motors's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 16.7199. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into General Motors's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

General Motors's EBITDA

General Motors's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$18 billion (£13.8 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a General Motors's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure stock profitability.

General Motors share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, General Motors's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$26.0139 up to US$50.3742. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

GM.US volatility(beta: 1.43)Avg. volatility(beta: 1.00)LowHigh

Beta measures a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while General Motors's is 1.432. This would suggest that General Motors's shares are more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively speaking, a higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

General Motors financials

Revenue TTM US$178.1 billion
Operating margin TTM 8.1%
Gross profit TTM US$21.2 billion
Return on assets TTM 2.65%
Return on equity TTM 14.63%
Profit margin 6.22%
Book value 62.394
Market capitalisation US$53.8 billion
EBITDA US$18 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

General Motors share dividends

5%

Dividend payout ratio: 4.89% of net profits

Recently General Motors has paid out, on average, around 4.89% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 1% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), General Motors shareholders could enjoy a 1% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In General Motors's case, that would currently equate to about $0.42 per share.

While General Motors's payout ratio might seem low, this can signify that General Motors is investing more in its future growth.

General Motors's most recent dividend payout was on 18 September 2024. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 5 September 2024 (the "ex-dividend date").

General Motors's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like General Motors.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

General Motors's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 32.74

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and General Motors's overall score of 32.74 (as at 12/31/2018) is nothing to write home about – landing it in it in the 59th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like General Motors is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

General Motors's environmental score

Environmental score: 13.14/100

General Motors's environmental score of 13.14 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that General Motors is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

General Motors's social score

Social score: 14.04/100

General Motors's social score of 14.04 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that General Motors is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

General Motors's governance score

Governance score: 10.56/100

General Motors's governance score puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that General Motors is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

General Motors's controversy score

Controversy score: 4/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. General Motors scored a 4 out of 5 for controversy – the second-lowest score possible, reflecting that General Motors has a damaged public profile.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

General Motors Company was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score 32.74
Total ESG percentile 58.58
Environmental score 13.14
Environmental score percentile 5
Social score 14.04
Social score percentile 5
Governance score 10.56
Governance score percentile 5
Level of controversy 4

General Motors overview

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names. In addition, the company sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts through retail dealers, and distributors and dealers, as well as to fleet customers, including daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies, and governments. Further, it offers range of after-sale services through dealer network, such as maintenance, light repairs, collision repairs, vehicle accessories, and extended service warranties. Additionally, the company provides automotive financing; and software-enabled services and subscriptions. General Motors Company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

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