Magna Int'l. (A)MG.TOTOP PICKNov 02, 2021Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 04, 2026. Market Open.
In 2021, they invested heavily in EV, but the demand didn't materialize. Since then, they've suffered that overhang, plus the impact of tariffs. But they fixed these problems with Chinese OEMs and have gained market share in smart door handles and driverless systems. Are gaining market share. Doing a great job.
Very hesitant. Recent recovery has been sharp and quick, almost as though it's factoring in abolition of tariffs completely. We need more clarity on tariffs. Auto industry is highly cyclical and depends on health of the economy, and we're seeing signs of weakening.
If you own it, don't need the cash, and have a 5-10 year time horizon, you should be fine. But there could be further weakness from here.
It won't pull back much from here. Given tariffs, this space is uncertain, but eventually we will settle this tariff war. Auto manufacturing is so emeshed between both countries that it would take a very long time to rejig it. This or Linamar are fine, but Magna pays a higher PE, though trades at a higher price-to-book. Your horizon must be long to own this, like 3-4 years.
Don't yet know how things are going to shake out. Rhetoric is at an all-time high. Short term, it's impacting our economy because the US is our largest trading partner. Reality is that there's a lot of value-added auto manufacturing in both Canada and US; the 2 countries are inextricably linked. Tariffs will be punitive for both Canada and the US.
Hope is not an investment strategy, but we have to hope that rational heads can prevail so that there continues to be a steady flow of goods across our borders.
Going down the food chain, among the auto parts companies, Magna remains best in class. However, pesky supply issues will reduce their financial outlook. On Oct. 20, the company lowered total 2021 sales from US$38 to $39.5 billion (as projected last August) to US$35.4 to $36.4 billion, with EBIT to be 5.1% to 5.4% from August's 7% to 7.4%. We'll get a better picture when Magna reports on Nov. 5. It's a solid company, but will be stuck in neutral until the supple bottleneck is flushed. If you already own shares, hang on, while others may want to wait or take a partial position and see what happens.