BMW Earnings: Profit Up on Booming Sales of Smaller Models

Booming sales of BMW's small X1 crossover more than offset declines in sales of some of its larger models during the second quarter. Image source: BMW.

German luxury-car maker Bayerische Motoren Werke AG(NASDAQOTH: BAMXF), better known as BMW, reported its second-quarter 2016 earnings on Aug. 2. Here's what investors need to know.

The key numbers

Metric Q2 2016 Q2 2015 Change
Revenue 25,014 23,935 +4.5%
Units sold: autos 605,534 573,079 +5.7%
Units sold: motorcycles 44,105 43,855 +0.6%
Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) 2,725 2,535 +7.9%
EBIT profit margin, auto segment 9.5% 8.4% +1.1 pts
Net profit 1,949 1,749 +11.4%
Operating cash flow, auto segment 2,905 3,008 (3.4%)

All financial results are shown in millions of euros; 1 euro = $1.12 on Aug. 2.

What happened at BMW in the second quarter

Investors have been concerned about slowing car sales, but those worries didn't touch BMW in the second quarter -- at least not in Europe and Asia. Its total sales of 605,534 vehicles was an all-time quarterly record. BMW's three automotive brands all reported sales increases versus the year-ago quarter: Mini (96,587 sold, up 5.4%), BMW (507,814 sold, up 5.7%), and Rolls-Royce (1,133 sold, up 14.7%). Mini's second-quarter result was an all-time record for the brand.

But within those numbers is some cause for concern. BMW saw significant year-over-year sales growth in smaller models like the 2 Series (up 52.4%), the X1 crossover (up 61.7%), and the X3 crossover (up 16.6%), while sales of some of its larger models like the X5 crossover (down 5.4%) and the 3 Series (down 3.3%) and 5 Series (down 2.8%) sedans slipped.

Nonetheless, BMW was able to deliver a strong 9.5% EBIT profit margin in its automotive segment, up from 8.4% in the year-ago quarter. Tight cost controls and some favorable exchange-rate shiftshelped offset the unfavorable shifts in sales mix.

BMW's automotive sales gains were driven by strong growth in Europe and a solid result in China. European sales of BMW's three automotive brands jumped 12.8% year over year, with strong gains in Germany (up 11.2%) and the United Kingdom (up 10.9%). BMW also did well in China, with sales of its auto brands up 4.3% to 120,650 year over year.

As it was in the first quarter, BMW was again hurt by short supplies of the X Series crossovers in the United States. But it's also feeling the effects of a slowing market for premium vehicles. BMW's U.S. auto sales fell 9.7% in the second quarter, the company's second quarterly drop in a row. CFO Friedrich Eichiner said last quarter that efforts were underway to expand production of the popular crossover SUV models. During BMW's earnings call on Aug. 2, he said that the company's inventories are now "optimized," but he expects the U.S. market to "remain challenging in the second half of 2016."

Global sales of BMW Motorrad, the company's motorcycle unit, rose slightly (0.6%) to 44,105 units in the second quarter. Revenue and earnings declined slightly year over year due to exchange-rate shifts and increased spending to start production of the new G 310 R model in India.

BMW Financial Services, its in-house financing arm, earned 529 million euros before interest and tax in the second quarter, up 10.5% from a year ago. Its leasing and retail financing businesses both showed strong year-over-year growth.

BMW continues to aggressively pursue advanced technologies, including self-driving systems, electrified vehicle drivetrains, and advanced carbon-fiber manufacturing techniques. It spent 1.128 billion euros on research and development in the second quarter, 4.5% of its revenue. That ratio was down slightly from 4.9% a year ago, but still represents a a heavy pace of spending.

What BMW executives said about the quarter

"For the past 25 quarters, we have achieved an EBITmargin in our Automotive Segment within our target range of 8 to 10 percent or higher," CEO Harald Krueger said during the earnings call. "Our strategy will maintain this focus on sustainable profitability -- despite a highly volatile environment and the constantly changing conditions we operate in. We will continue to strive for an EBIT margin of 8 to 10 percent in the automotive segment.

"We are convinced that profitable growth means much more than just being number one in sales and volumes -- especially now that players in the premium segment are increasingly using price discounts to gain a competitive edge," Krueger said.

On the earnings call,Eichiner said:

Looking ahead: BMW's guidance

BMW confirmed its prior guidance. It still expects deliveries and pre-tax profits to come in "slightly" ahead of its 2015 results, with an EBIT margin in its automotive segment between 8% and 10%. It expects continued strong growth in Europe,particularly southern Europe, and moderategrowth in Asia to offset challenges in North and South America.

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John Rosevear has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BMW. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.