Top Choices In Automaking & Auto Parts

Article Excerpt

NISSAN MOTOR CO. $19.92 (Nasdaq symbol NSANY; SI Rating: Above-average) (310-771-3111; www.nissanmotors.com; Shares outstanding: 2.3 billion; Market cap: $45.0 billion) is Japan’s second-largest automaker after Toyota and just ahead of Honda. Nissan’s car models include Maxima and Sentra, and the more upscale Altima and Infiniti. Other models include Frontier pickups, the 350Z sports car, and the Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs. The company’s major plants are in Japan, but it also builds cars and trucks in the U.S., U.K., Mexico, Spain and Australia. In the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2007, Nissan’s revenues rose 11%, to 2.4 trillion yen ($20.4 billion U.S.) from 2.2 trillion yen ($18.4 billion) a year earlier. The revenue increase came from a 5.9% increase in vehicle sales to 875,000 units. Despite the sales increase, profits fell 16.2%, to 92.3 billion yen ($7.7 billion U.S., or $0.47 per ADR) from 110.2 billion yen ($9.2 billion U.S. or $0.37 per ADR). The lower earnings came from a higher tax…