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GM vs. TSLA: General Motors vs. Tesla Stock Comparison

How do General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA) are both classified in the Automobile Manufacturers sub-industry within the broader Automobiles industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
Profile ItemGMTSLA
NameGeneral Motors CompanyTesla, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupAutomobiles & ComponentsAutomobiles & Components
GICS IndustryAutomobilesAutomobiles
GICS Sub-IndustryAutomobile ManufacturersAutomobile Manufacturers
Market Capitalization78.48 billion USD1,351.81 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateNovember 18, 2010June 29, 2010
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GM
TSLA
GSPC
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
Total Return (1Y)55.20%1.99%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)37.97%12.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)10.98%7.44%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GM
TSLA
GSPC
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)33.93%46.41%
Beta (5Y)1.311.83
Max Drawdown (5Y)-58.96%-73.63%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.67M43.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GM and TSLA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.51-0.04
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.70-0.06

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both General Motors (GM) at 3.16% and Tesla (TSLA) at 4.67% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

3.16%

Max
45.44%
Q3
12.25%
Median
5.16%
GM
3.16%
Q1
-16.65%
Min
-57.52%

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

4.67%

Max
45.44%
Q3
12.25%
Median
5.16%
TSLA
4.67%
Q1
-16.65%
Min
-57.52%
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their ROE against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both General Motors (GM) at 1.05% and Tesla (TSLA) at 3.67% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

1.05%

Max
10.77%
Q3
4.28%
Median
1.21%
GM
1.05%
Q1
-2.45%
Min
-12.11%

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

3.67%

Max
10.77%
Q3
4.28%
TSLA
3.67%
Median
1.21%
Q1
-2.45%
Min
-12.11%
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their net margin against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both General Motors (GM) at 3.20% and Tesla (TSLA) at 1.41% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

3.20%

Max
23.63%
Q3
8.85%
Median
4.09%
GM
3.20%
Q1
-1.03%
Min
-14.77%

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

1.41%

Max
23.63%
Q3
8.85%
Median
4.09%
TSLA
1.41%
Q1
-1.03%
Min
-14.77%
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
ROE (TTM)3.16%4.67%
ROA (TTM)2.25%1.93%
Net Margin (TTM)1.05%3.67%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.20%1.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)10.18%18.85%

Growth

Revenue Growth

General Motors (GM) at -1.29% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Tesla (TSLA) at -2.93% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both General Motors (GM) at -48.67% and Tesla (TSLA) at -47.06% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
Revenue Growth (YoY)-1.29%-2.93%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.69%5.19%
EPS Growth (YoY)-48.67%-47.06%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-18.90%-33.18%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Tesla (TSLA) at 1.94 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while General Motors (GM) at 1.14 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GM.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

1.14

Max
3.60
Q3
2.52
Median
1.79
Q1
1.14
GM
1.14
Min
0.06

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

1.94

Max
3.60
Q3
2.52
TSLA
1.94
Median
1.79
Q1
1.14
Min
0.06
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Tesla (TSLA) at 0.18 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while General Motors (GM) at 2.02 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

2.02

GM
2.02
Max
2.02
Q3
1.21
Median
0.76
Q1
0.30
Min
0.00

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

0.18

Max
2.02
Q3
1.21
Median
0.76
Q1
0.30
TSLA
0.18
Min
0.00
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.141.94
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.020.18
Net Debt / EBITDA6.32-2.55

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Tesla (TSLA) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile General Motors (GM) reports a yield of 0.76%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

0.76%

Max
3.37%
Q3
1.67%
GM
0.76%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

0.00%

Max
3.37%
Q3
1.67%
TSLA
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Tesla (TSLA) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile General Motors (GM) reports a payout of 29.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

29.46%

Max
72.06%
Q3
32.59%
GM
29.46%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

0.00%

Max
72.06%
Q3
32.59%
TSLA
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.76%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)29.46%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: General Motors (GM) at 38.56 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and Tesla (TSLA) at 311.15 is richer still, above its industry range.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

38.56

Max
51.16
GM
38.56
Q3
34.56
Median
20.89
Q1
13.75
Min
0.00

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

311.15

TSLA
311.15
Max
51.16
Q3
34.56
Median
20.89
Q1
13.75
Min
0.00
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

General Motors (GM) at 0.42 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Tesla (TSLA) at 13.05 clears its benchmark range — TSLA looks notably rich on sales.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

0.42

Max
3.78
Q3
1.88
Median
0.64
GM
0.42
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

13.05

TSLA
13.05
Max
3.78
Q3
1.88
Median
0.64
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

General Motors (GM) at 1.23 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Tesla (TSLA) at 15.56 prices above its benchmark range — TSLA looks rich relative to book.

GM

Automobiles & Components industry group

1.23

Max
4.10
Q3
2.23
GM
1.23
Median
1.22
Q1
0.60
Min
-1.51

TSLA

Automobiles & Components industry group

15.56

TSLA
15.56
Max
4.10
Q3
2.23
Median
1.22
Q1
0.60
Min
-1.51
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General Motors (GM) vs. Tesla (TSLA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Automobiles & Components industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Motors (GM) and Tesla (TSLA)
MetricGMTSLA
P/E Ratio (TTM)38.56311.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.4213.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.2315.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)27.95%0.36%