Why Is Fisker Running Out of Money?
Source: T. Schneider / Shutterstock
Fisker (NYSE:FSR) stock is down more than 90% so far this year and trading below the pivotal $1 level. The past few weeks have been full of bad news for the electric vehicle (EV) company.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Fisker had hired restructuring advisors in preparation for a possible bankruptcy. In its preliminary fourth-quarter and 2023 full-year earnings, the company warned that there would likely be “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue as a going concern once it files its 2023 Form 10-K. Fisker previously disclosed that it would submit its filing late.
The company also announced a 15% workforce reduction as part of its transition to a dealer-partner model and in order to cut costs.
Why Is Fisker Running Out of Money?
The simple answer to Fisker’s woes is that it’s not attracting enough demand for its vehicles amid an EV price war. Producing vehicles is an extremely cost-intensive process, especially for companies just getting started. In 2023, Fisker produced 10,193 Oceans. However, Fisker only delivered 4,929 of these vehicles.
As of March 15, Fisker had produced about 1,000 vehicles and delivered 1,300 in 2024, bringing its inventory to about 4,700 vehicles. The company believes that these vehicles are worth over $200 million. Beginning on March 18, Fisker enacted a six-week pause on production in order to correct its inventory levels.
Fisker is taking the right steps to cut costs. However, at the same time, it still needs capital to stay afloat. Yesterday, the company announced that it had received a $150 million financing commitment from the sale of $166.67 million of 2024 senior secured convertible note. The sale of the notes is conditional on Fisker filing its 2023 10-K. Once Fisker sells the notes, the holder will be able to convert them into FSR stock at any time. That would equate to dilution for equity shareholders.
In addition, Fisker could be closing on an over $400 million investment from Nissan (OTCMKTS:NSANY), according to Reuters. Nissan is allegedly interested in Fisker’s upcoming Alaska pickup truck. Fisker’s deal with Nissan could close by as soon as this month.
On Penny Stocks and Low-Volume Stocks: With only the rarest exceptions, InvestorPlace does not publish commentary about companies that have a market cap of less than $100 million or trade less than 100,000 shares each day. That’s because these “penny stocks” are frequently the playground for scam artists and market manipulators. If we ever do publish commentary on a low-volume stock that may be affected by our commentary, we demand that InvestorPlace.com’s writers disclose this fact and warn readers of the risks.
Read More: Penny Stocks — How to Profit Without Getting Scammed
On the date of publication, Eddie Pan did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.