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JOBY's Q4 Earnings Coming Up: Time to Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?

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Joby Aviation (JOBY - Free Report) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 26, after market close.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter 2024 loss is currently pegged at 18 cents per share and has remained stable over the past 60 days. Additionally, the consensus mark implies a 5.9% downslide from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter 2024 revenues is currently pegged at $0.15 million, suggesting an 85.2% decline from the year-ago actuals.

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Joby has a decent earnings history. It surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the past four quarters, missing the mark once and reporting in-line earnings on the other occasion. The average beat is 4.5%.

Joby Aviation Stock Price and EPS Surprise

Joby Aviation, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Joby Aviation, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Joby Aviation, Inc. Quote

JOBY Earnings Whispers for Q4

Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for JOBY this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

JOBY has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Factors Likely to Shape JOBY’s Q4 Results

We expect Joby Aviation’s fourth-quarter bottom-line performance is likely to have been affected by high operating expenses. Elevated research and development costs, and selling, general and administrative expenses are likely to have pushed up operating costs.

Heavy investments might have also hindered the company’s prospects. With JOBY focusing on the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) space, R&D expenses are likely to have been high. Developing the necessary infrastructure, overcoming regulatory roadblocks and gaining public acceptance are all critical hurdles. Moreover, the cost-intensive nature of eVTOL development seeks additional capital, which can pose challenges for companies like Joby Aviation.

JOBY Stock Underperforms Industry & ACHR

JOBY stock has not had an outstanding run on the bourses in a year. JOBY stock has gained 25%, performing worse than the transportation airline industry’s 35.3% uptick in the same timeframe. Another eVTOL-focused stock Archer Aviation (ACHR - Free Report) has performed even better, surging 99.2%.

One-year JOBY Stock Price Comparison

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

JOBY Shares Trading at Premium

From a valuation perspective, Joby Aviation is trading at a premium compared to the industry average. In terms of price-to-book value, JOBY is trading at 7.44X, higher than its three-year median of 3.57X and the industry’s 5.15X.

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

Investment Thesis for JOBY Stock

Given its focus on urban air mobility, JOBY’s offerings are likely to include advanced booking systems, partnerships with ride-sharing platforms, and dedicated service routes. Joby Aviation plans to develop facilities capable of producing up to 500 eVTOL aircraft annually in Dayton. JOBY’s partnerships with the Department of Defense, Toyota (TM - Free Report) and Uber Technologies (UBER - Free Report) bode well. 

Joby Aviation is unlikely to be profitable any time soon as commercial production is yet to start. In its path toward commercialization, JOBY is unlikely to escape turbulence as it navigates regulatory approvals, infrastructure development and adoption by consumers.

In the absence of commercialization, there is no real demand for urban air mobility at present. Only time will tell, how the market and customer demand for eVTOLs turn out to be. Additionally, the risk of battery failure due to high voltage and thermal issues is highly existent for eVTOL aircraft. 

Final Thoughts

We can safely conclude that investors should refrain from rushing to buy JOBY, which is facing quite a few challenges in addition to a premium valuation, ahead of its earnings release on Feb. 26. Instead, they should monitor the developments pertaining to the stock closely for a more appropriate entry point, as an erroneous and hasty decision could affect portfolio gains.


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