U.S. auto strikes give them an edge

Article Excerpt

Shares of Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda have posted solid gains for investors in the past year. That’s partly because strikes at the big three American automakers—Ford, GM and Stellantis—will probably lift the market share for Japanese and Korean industry giants. Both Toyota and Honda, in particular, are also making progress with the shift to electric vehicles. TOYOTA MOTOR CO. ADRs $182 is a buy. The stock (New York symbol TM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $254.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.toyota.com) gives you exposure to the world’s largest automaker by production. Toyota’s sales in its fiscal 2024 first quarter, ended June 30, 2023, rose 15.5%, to 2.33 million vehicles from 2.01 million a year earlier. Revenue also improved 20.4%, to $76.98 billion from $63.94 billion. Due to a higher sales of more-profitable models and cost controls, earnings per ADR jumped 69.4%, to $7.13 from $4.21 (each American Depositary Receipt equals…