General Motors chief executive Mary Barra confirmed that battery-electric vehicles remain the company’s ultimate goal, even as many competitors have scaled back EV investment. She noted that recent proposals to relax federal fuel-economy standards have created greater uncertainty for GM’s product planning than shifting international trade rules. Barra emphasized that GM has already committed more than $35 billion to electric and autonomous technology through 2025, and plans to launch at least 30 new EV models globally by the end of that year. She acknowledged the need to balance cost discipline with long-term research and development spending, forecasting that electric vehicles will account for roughly 40 percent of North American volumes by 2030 under current strategy assumptions.

During the third quarter, Commonwealth Equity Services reduced its stake in GM by 7.4 percent, selling 17,012 shares to end the period with 213,742 shares valued at approximately $13.0 million. Conversely, Brighton Jones increased its position by 456.1 percent in the fourth quarter, adding 31,755 shares to reach a holding worth about $2.06 million. Other notable moves included Focus Partners Wealth boosting its stake by 39.1 percent to 154,848 shares ($7.28 million) and Voya Investment Management raising its position by 2.3 percent to 519,808 shares ($24.45 million). In total, hedge funds and other institutions now control over 90 percent of GM’s outstanding shares.

In the latest quarterly results, GM reported earnings per share of $2.80, surpassing consensus estimates by $0.48, on revenues of $48.6 billion, which beat expectations by $4.0 billion but marked a 0.3 percent year-over-year decline. The automaker delivered a net margin of 1.62 percent and a return on equity of 12.3 percent. Full-year guidance was raised to a range of $9.75 to $10.50 in earnings per share. GM also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, representing an annualized payout of $0.60 and a yield near 0.7 percent, with a payout ratio of just over 12 percent.

Following the earnings release, several brokerages updated their outlooks on GM. Goldman Sachs increased its target to $93 and maintained a buy recommendation, citing strong production discipline and margin recovery. Piper Sandler initiated an overweight rating with a $98 target, pointing to potential upside as restructuring charges normalize. Morgan Stanley raised its target from $54 to $90 and upgraded to overweight based on improving EV cost curves and dealer inventory reductions. Despite a recent downgrade to hold from one research firm, the consensus remains favorable, with more buy-or-strong-buy opinions than hold or sell.