NIO Inc. (NIO)
NIO is a Chinese electric vehicle maker that stands out for its unique battery-swapping technology, allowing drivers to swap a depleted battery for a full one in minutes.
Is NIO Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Rapid revenue growth shows strong consumer demand. Worth weighing: The company is currently losing money on every car sold.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does NIO Inc. do?
NIO designs and builds premium electric cars, aiming to make owning an EV as convenient as filling up a petrol tank through its network of automated battery-swap stations. The company makes money primarily by selling these vehicles and offering subscription services for battery access. Their path forward rests on scaling up production and turning rapid revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. into actual profit, since they currently spend more than they earn.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and value, and weakest on quality.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 112% over the year
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 1.8x its equity
- Growth screens high
- Quality screens low
- Momentum screens low
- Income screens low
Does NIO Inc. pay a dividend?
No - NIO Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
Does NIO Inc. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about 31.77B in cash against about 26.57B of debt - so it has net cash of about 5.20B. More cash than debt is a cushion: it does not need to borrow just to cover what it owes.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do NIO Inc.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has NIO Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, NIO Inc. fell as much as −56% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
What do you actually own with NIO?
This US listing is an American Depositary Receipt (ADR), not a direct holding of NIO Inc.'s ordinary shares. A bank holds the real shares in China and issues receipts against them, and it is those receipts that trade in US dollars on a US exchange. It is the standard route by which a company listed abroad becomes available on a US market, and the receipt tracks the shares behind it.
- Two currencies are involved. NIO Inc. reports its results in Chinese yuan, while the listing itself trades in US dollars. Exchange-rate moves therefore affect the value alongside the movement of the underlying shares.
- There is a custody fee. The depositary bank charges a small annual fee for running the arrangement - often a few cents per receipt - usually taken out of dividends or passed on by your platform.
- Dividends cross a border. Any dividend is converted into US dollars by the bank, and China may deduct withholding tax before it reaches you.
- Voting works differently. Receipt holders generally do not vote at the company's meetings directly; the bank holding the shares handles that.
This describes how the listing is put together, using its registered security type. It is context about the instrument, not a view on the company.
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns NIO Inc.?
About 12% of NIO Inc., or about 12 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds. The rest, roughly 88%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does NIO Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
When does NIO Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
NIO Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-11-24 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | $-0.14 | $0.01 | Beat +107% |
| 2026-05-21 | $-0.34 | $0.02 | Beat +106% |
| 2026-03-10 | $0.05 | $0.29 | Beat +441% |
| 2025-11-25 | $-1.57 | $-1.14 | Beat +27% |
| 2025-09-02 | $-2.20 | $-1.85 | Beat +16% |
| 2025-06-03 | $-2.66 | $-3.01 | Missed -13% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, NIO Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for NIO Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
NIO becomes a dominant global player in the premium EV space
Persistent inability to achieve long-term profitability
What are the pros and cons of NIO Inc.?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Rapid revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. shows strong consumer demand
- Innovative battery-swapping technology differentiates it from rivals
- Strong foothold in the massive Chinese EV market
- The company is currently losing money on every car sold
- High reliance on external funding to keep operations running
- No dividend payments for shareholders
- Intense competition from both traditional and new EV manufacturers
- Geopolitical tensions affecting international business operations
- Regulatory changes in China that could impact the EV sector
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- The company reports a consistent net profit for several quarters
- A major shift in consumer preference away from battery-swapping technology
Common questions about NIO Inc.
Does NIO Inc. pay a dividend?
No - NIO Inc. does not currently pay a dividend, so the return would rest on the share price. Many growing companies reinvest profits instead of paying them out.
When does NIO Inc. report earnings next?
NIO Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-11-24. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.