Li Auto (NASDAQ:LI) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.12 EPS

Li Auto (NASDAQ:LI) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.27) by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.17 billion. Li Auto had a negative return on equity of 2.58% and a negative net margin of 1.72%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Li Auto’s conference call:

• Li Auto said deliveries returned to a growth trajectory in Q1 and the company regained the top spot among Chinese brands in the RMB 200,000+ NEV market from January to April.
• The newly launched all-new Li L9 got off to a strong start, with the Livis trim securing over 10,000 orders in its first two weeks; management expects it to hold more than 20% share in the RMB 500,000+ NEV SUV segment.
• Management outlined a product refresh pipeline that includes the all-new Li L8 launching in late June, positioned as a flagship five-seater SUV to complement the L9 and strengthen the premium lineup.
• Q1 profitability weakened sharply, with revenue of RMB 23 billion but gross margin falling to 7.9%, operating loss reaching RMB 3.0 billion, and net loss totaling RMB 2.3 billion.
• The company highlighted progress on its in-house Mach M100 chip and MindVLA model, saying the new ADAS platform improves compute efficiency and decision-making, with a goal of matching Tesla FSD v14 performance in the U.S. in the second half of the year.

Li Auto Stock Down 3.4%

LI stock opened at $15.01 on Friday. Li Auto has a fifty-two week low of $14.90 and a fifty-two week high of $32.03. The business’s 50-day moving average is $17.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.81. The company has a market cap of $16.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.61 and a beta of 0.63.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LI. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Li Auto in the fourth quarter valued at about $72,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Li Auto in the fourth quarter valued at about $197,000. Limestone Investment Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Li Auto in the third quarter worth about $222,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Li Auto in the third quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Chesapeake Capital Corp IL purchased a new stake in Li Auto in the third quarter worth about $227,000. Institutional investors own 9.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Li Auto

Here are the key news stories impacting Li Auto this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Macquarie upgraded Li Auto to Neutral from Underperform, saying some of the company’s biggest challenges may be easing. That suggests the worst-case scenario could be improving, which is supportive for sentiment. Macquarie upgrades Li Auto as signs of recovery begin to emerge
• Neutral Sentiment: Li Auto said shareholders adopted all proposed resolutions at its annual general meeting, a routine corporate update that does not materially change the near-term operating outlook. Li Auto Inc. Announces Results of Annual General Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s Q1 2026 results were better than consensus on revenue and EPS, but still showed a year-over-year revenue decline and weak profitability, leaving investors focused on whether Li Auto can reaccelerate growth. Li Auto Inc. Announces Unaudited First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Li Auto’s second-quarter revenue guidance of $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion came in well below Wall Street’s expectations, raising concerns about demand and adding pressure to the stock. Li Auto Inc (LI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges with Strategic Innovations
• Negative Sentiment: Management also reported a first-quarter loss and shrinking margins, and several reports highlighted slowing hybrid sales and weaker-than-expected earnings, reinforcing worries that Li Auto is still facing a difficult operating environment. Li Auto Suffers Loss as Hybrid Sales Slow, Shrinking Margins

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Li Auto from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Li Auto from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Li Auto from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Li Auto from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Li Auto from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.55.

Li Auto Company Profile

Li Auto Inc is a Chinese automotive company that develops, manufactures and sells smart electric vehicles, with an early focus on range-extended electric SUVs designed for family use. The company is headquartered in China and serves the domestic market through a combination of online channels and a network of retail/showroom locations. Li Auto was founded to address range-anxiety in electric vehicle buyers by integrating a small internal-combustion engine as a range extender alongside a large battery, enabling longer driving range while retaining electric driving characteristics.

The company’s product lineup centers on multi‑occupant SUVs that combine electric propulsion, advanced in‑vehicle connectivity and driver‑assistance features.