Kandi Technolgies Corp (KNDI)

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China’s electric vehicle market: Kandi and Tesla

Posted:02/27/15
By:David Floyd

http://wire.kapitall.com/investment-idea/chinas-electric-vehicle-market-kandi-tesla/



Kandi electric vehicles are selling like hot cakes in China. Meanwhile Tesla hits a wall.

Value investors should pay attention when stocks fall steadily from previous highs. Kandi Technologies (KNDI) is a perfect example. Share prices peaked on July 22 at $22.49 and bottomed out on December 16, at a 52-week low of $10.30. Since then, the vehicle maker’s stock has rebounded slowly, the primary reason being that the SEC has closed its investigation into the company.

Kandi is a pure electric vehicle maker that runs a joint venture car-share program in China. The company reported sales of $44.21 million for the quarter ending September 30 and announced in December that it delivered 700 EVs to a distributor in Guangzhou. Altogether, the firm delivered 14,398 units in 2014.

Kandis’ success is in stark contrast to Tesla’s (TSLA) troubles in China. Forbes has called the company’s venture into the Chinese market a “flop,” noting that Tesla China imported just 444 units in December, a sharp drop from 747 the previous month. June Jin, Tesla China’s Vice President of Communications, left the company after less than a year on the job, and CEO Elon Musk has threatened further layoffs.

For the last year, Tesla and Kandi’s stocks are performing roughly the same, but this could change soon. Car-sharing is rapidly becoming an established trend in China, and the government has extended subsidies for electric vehicles to 2020, which may stimulate demand for domestic EV manufacturers.



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China’s electric vehicle market: Kandi and Tesla

Posted:02/27/15
By:David Floyd
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China’s electric vehicle market: Kandi and Tesla
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Kandi electric vehicles are selling like hot cakes in China. Meanwhile Tesla hits a wall.

Value investors should pay attention when stocks fall steadily from previous highs. Kandi Technologies (KNDI) is a perfect example. Share prices peaked on July 22 at $22.49 and bottomed out on December 16, at a 52-week low of $10.30. Since then, the vehicle maker’s stock has rebounded slowly, the primary reason being that the SEC has closed its investigation into the company.

Kandi is a pure electric vehicle maker that runs a joint venture car-share program in China. The company reported sales of $44.21 million for the quarter ending September 30 and announced in December that it delivered 700 EVs to a distributor in Guangzhou. Altogether, the firm delivered 14,398 units in 2014.

Kandis’ success is in stark contrast to Tesla’s (TSLA) troubles in China. Forbes has called the company’s venture into the Chinese market a “flop,” noting that Tesla China imported just 444 units in December, a sharp drop from 747 the previous month. June Jin, Tesla China’s Vice President of Communications, left the company after less than a year on the job, and CEO Elon Musk has threatened further layoffs.

For the last year, Tesla and Kandi’s stocks are performing roughly the same, but this could change soon. Car-sharing is rapidly becoming an established trend in China, and the government has extended subsidies for electric vehicles to 2020, which may stimulate demand for domestic EV manufacturers.

In terms of valuation, Kandi is much more appealing than Tesla. The stock trades at 3.1 times book, compared to 27.1 for Tesla. Kandi’s debt to equity ratio is 0.23, compared to 2.51 for Tesla.

On the other hand, judging by its stock price, Tesla’s branding value is enormous. Founder Elon Musk is confident the firm could be worth as much as Apple by 2025. In the U.S., where Tesla has enjoyed strong demand, mass adoption will ultimately depend on the availability of superchargers.

Bottom line

Neither Tesla nor Kandi’s stock is without risk. Tesla’s valuation is scary, but the firm is expecting better sales for its flagship Model S. Kandi’s business may now be beyond the concerns of the SEC, but renewed worries may emerge. The latter scenario is likely: the short float on Kandi’s stock is 25.50 percent.

Written by Chris Lau.