Volta Inc.

NYSE:VLTA Stock Report

Market Cap: US$149.8m

This company has been acquired

The company may no longer be operating, as it has been acquired. Find out why through their latest events.

Volta Past Earnings Performance

Past criteria checks 0/6

Key information

-41.70%

Earnings growth rate

42.85%

EPS growth rate

Specialty Retail Industry Growth26.64%
Revenue growth rate43.38%
Return on equity-102.19%
Net Margin-283.21%
Last Earnings Update31 Dec 2022

Recent past performance updates

Recent updates

Seeking Alpha • Jan 20

Volta: Bad Story Ends

Summary Volta accepts an offer from Shell for $0.86 per share in cash. The EV charging station network was running out of cash while burning over $65 million per quarter. The stock is a sell with Volta trading at the acquisition price and no likely bidding war to take place. In a horrible ending for investors stuck in Volta (VLTA) since the SPAC deal closed, the EV charging station company accepted a minimal buyout price. Considering the ongoing operating losses, a deal with Shell USA Inc. (SHEL) was probably the best possible outcome at this point. My investment rating is now a Sell, with the stock trading at the deal price in a sharp warning to investors in other EV charging station stocks. Source: FinViz Down Over 90% Volta went public back in August 2021 in a SPAC deal with Tortoise Corp II. The company just accepted a deal to be acquired by Shell for ~$169 million at a price of $0.86/share in cash. The stock hit a low of $0.30 at the end of 2022 on tax loss selling, so shareholders probably lucked out a large energy company wanted to own a charging station operator. The move is odd in that these charging station companies don't generate much in the way of gross margins questioning why Shell doesn't just buy from the market. Amazingly, Volta traded up to $15 prior to closing the SPAC deal. The market fell into the EV charging station hype due to the shift towards clean energy, but the sector remains on the bleeding edge failing to generate much in the way of gross margins while wilding spending on sales and marketing expenses. The energy giant possibly sees some potential in the media model where Volta has failed in the last year since going public. The company recently reported Q3'22 results where revenues were only $14.4 million for a business with a network of 5,700 screens delivering charging solutions to EV owners and one billion monthly impressions to the advertisers. The problem is that Volta actually had higher gross margins with cost of sales only in the $8.8 million range. The issue is that the charging station company is spending over $40 million quarterly on SG&A costs. No company can survive very long with revenue growth having stalled and operating expenses are vastly higher than the revenues. In fact, Volta technically makes no money when factoring in depreciation and interest expenses before even approaching the large SG&A costs to presumably build out the charging station network and make sales deals for the media network. Everyone understands the need to invest in order to build the network. The issue is matching revenues with the spending level. Any company has to have a reasonable path to reaching cash flow positive and Volta failed on this metric in part to revenues not materializing as projected. No Cash Investors should learn from the Volta story with other SPACs regarding cash balances and burn rates. The company reported a Q3'22 adjusted EBITDA loss of $30.9 million, up from $22.1 million last year. The charging station network company has an EBITDA loss of $105.7 million for the YTD period. The problem is that Volta only generated Q3'22 revenues of $14.4 million and the analysts predict the company generating just $18.2 million in the strong media quarter of Q4. Volta doesn't have cash and the company still has to pay for the charging stations in order to install new ones requiring a massive amount of cash to fund network development and operating losses. The company ended September with a cash balance of just $15.6 million with debt levels already at $28 million. The problem is that cash burn has averaged over $65 million per quarter in 2022 due to the $119.6 million loss from operations this year through September and another $80.2 million loss on the purchase of equipment without even mentioning software and technology patent costs of $5.4 million. At this level of spending, Volta needed to raise magnitudes of more cash when the selling price was $10 per share. The company would need another $500 million to cover similar cash burn rates for the next 2 years alone.
Analysis Article • Nov 17

Volta Inc. (NYSE:VLTA) Just Reported, And Analysts Assigned A US$1.21 Price Target

Shareholders of Volta Inc. ( NYSE:VLTA ) will be pleased this week, given that the stock price is up 10% to US$0.70...
Seeking Alpha • Nov 14

Volta GAAP EPS of -$0.25 beats by $0.04, revenue of $14.36M misses by $0.34M

Volta press release (NYSE:VLTA): Q3 GAAP EPS of -$0.25 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $14.36M (+69.1% Y/Y) misses by $0.34M. As of September 30, 2022, Cash totaled $11.8 million, and stockholders’ equity totaled $18.3 million. Company Achieved Adjusted EBITDA Positive Results. Shares +2.56%.
Seeking Alpha • Oct 21

Volta decreases 54% of U.S. staff through furloughs, other workforce reductions

Volta (NYSE:VLTA) announced a decrease of 54% of U.S. full-time employees through this and other workforce reductions that began in Q2 2022. Inclusive of these latest efforts, this continued strategic focus will result in 43% reduction in cash SG&A, improved efficiency, and greater market alignment. "Volta's management team is positioning the business to capture this dynamic market opportunity while simultaneously reducing costs and growing revenue," said Vince Cubbage, Interim CEO of Volta.
Seeking Alpha • Oct 06

Volta, Tucson Electric to deploy EV chargers within disadvantaged communities

Volta (NYSE:VLTA) has entered into a partnership with electric utility Tucson Electric Power to deploy public EV charging infrastructure across disadvantaged communities in the Tucson area. The EV charging company will install eight EV charging stalls at high-traffic locations, such as grocery stores and entertainment venues, to provide these communities with access to convenient and affordable charging options. The first two chargers were recently installed at Cinemark Theatres located at 1300 East Tucson Marketplace Blvd and are ready for immediate use by EV drivers. The partnership is an extension of Volta’s Charging For All initiative , which is aligned with the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 goal VLTA shares have opened 5% higher at $1.24
Seeking Alpha • Sep 28

Volta cuts workforce by 10%, withdraws FY revenue guidance & lowers Q3 sales outlook

EV charging company Volta (NYSE:VLTA) on Wednesday said it had implemented a 10% reduction in its workforce, withdrawn its full year revenue guidance and revised its Q3 revenue forecast amidst challenging market conditions. The company said it would implement additional actions such as limit the use of outside consultants and consolidate its teams and three offices in San Francisco into one. The organizational realignment was intended to align the company's business with current market conditions, VLTA said in a statement. Volta (VLTA) also revised its Q3 revenue guidance to $13.5M to $14.5M from a prior outlook of $17M to $18M, citing market conditions and an uncertain macroeconomic environment. The consensus revenue estimate is $17.56M. Additionally, the company withdrew its full year revenue and install guidance until further notice. Class A shares of Volta (VLTA) -1.3% to $1.55 after hours.
Seeking Alpha • Aug 23

Volta: Struggles Persist

Volta recently reported another quarter with large losses. The EV charging station company has an intriguing business concept, but the digital ad market isn't delivering the necessary revenues. The company faces a cash crunch while having an interim CEO and needing to hire a CFO. While EV charging continues to garner more interest and government funding, Volta (VLTA) still doesn't have a workable business plan for the short term. The company has lost most key executives despite what previously amounted to a promising business model in EV charging stations. My investment thesis remains Neutral with the stock trading at $2 now, but Volta could keep falling. The Good Volta has an intriguing business plan to utilize EV charging stations for digital advertising. The company doesn't even currently charge for the electricity used to charge vehicles and the business doesn't technically need a customer to charge an EV in order to generate advertising revenue. The model struggles because Volta forecasts needing to spend $110 to $130 million on capex this year alone in order to install new charging stations. The upfront cost and lack of cash is what's causing the problem for the company. Volta added 372 stalls during Q2'22 for a record stalls connected in one quarter, up 180% from last Q2. The company now has 2,920 stalls and 5,425 screens connected with most stalls having 2 screens. Source: Volta Q2'22 presentation The EV charging station company has an impressive contracted pipeline of 3,942 stalls with 7,285 screens providing far in excess of 100% upside to the current base. Volta has another 1,309 sites under technical evaluation with 4,285 stalls providing a total opportunity of up to 8,227 stalls in the works. The Volta Media Network continues to expand work with larger brands as the network gains scale with each new install. The additional stalls will make the media network in more demand due to a higher reach and the ability to target people right prior to a purchase decision as they enter stores. The Bad The problems with Volta were summed up by the interim CEO on the Q2'22 earnings call. Vince Cubbage had the following to say about a capital raise: But as it relates to the debt, we said on our May call that we were starting a process. And shortly after saying that and starting that process, both our CFO and GC roughly left the company. And Drew and Brandt stepped in. We're very, very focused on this. The process is well underway. We're very optimistic that we will complete the capital raise on the time line that we have. We think that it will be well received in the market. While the interim CEO sounds bullish on a capital raise, not many investment funds want to invest in a company with a completely new management team. Volta ended June with a cash balance of only $105 million, precariously below the capex target for 2022 at ~$120 million. The company desperately needs a cash infusion to build out the current stalls in the pipeline, but the economic environment and the new management team should scare off most institutional investors. Not to mention, the financials remain bleak. For Q2'22, Volta reported revenue of $15.3 million, but the company still had an adjusted EBITDA loss of $33.4 million. The current cash hardly covers the operating losses, much less the large capex needs. Those aren't the financials attracting new investments. The Q3'22 guidance does support revenue growth with a target of reaching $17 to $18 million leading to $70 to $80 million for the year. The consensus analyst target has revenues jumping to $30 million for Q4 with a dip back to $22 million in Q1'23. Volta is now forecasting a business more in tune with the digital ad market where seasonality is very strong, especially considering a media business targeting retail outlets such as Kroger (KR) and Walgreens (WBA).
Seeking Alpha • Jun 15

Volta: Stay Away

Volta continues executive shuffle with the interim CEO moving to a new position and the CFO exiting the business. The company is burning far too much cash on a quarterly basis to get the funding necessary to scale the business to fully monetize the media asset. The stock isn't appealing at any level with management wanting to borrow vast amounts of money to fully fund the business model.
Seeking Alpha • Apr 04

Volta: The Other Shoe Just Dropped

Volta warned of massive revenue misses only days after announcing executive departures. The EV charging station company has limited flexibility to turn around the business with large losses and a small revenue base. The stock valuation isn't appealing until Volta has an updated business plan and hits updated targets.
Seeking Alpha • Mar 11

Volta: A Differentiated 'Dip' To Buy

Volta has a differentiated business model generating sustainable and lucrative returns for shareholders. The rise of EV on-the-go charging creates a potential competitive lead for Volta. It has 30% short-term upside (target price $6.20) and 150% long-term upside (target price $12) potential from its current "dip." The current oil price surge, EV policy boost, and upcoming earnings call are key catalysts. However, Volta needs to sustain its competitive edge and cope with technological changes in the long run.
Seeking Alpha • Dec 02

Volta: Better EV Charging Station Business Model

Volta continues to build a promising business model focused on monetizing EV charging stations beyond charging for electricity. The company has a large 1,300 stall backlog due to permitting issues, but the business faces surging costs far outpacing revenue growth. The stock is too expensive, trading at ~25x original '22 revenue targets of $66 million.

Revenue & Expenses Breakdown

How Volta makes and spends money. Based on latest reported earnings, on an LTM basis.

Earnings and Revenue History

NYSE:VLTA Revenue, expenses and earnings (USD Millions)
DateRevenueEarningsG+A ExpensesR&D Expenses
31 Dec 2255-1551650
30 Sep 2250-2492810
30 Jun 2244-2762970
31 Mar 2236-2602720
31 Dec 2132-2772750
30 Sep 2129-1871550
30 Jun 2125-1311090
31 Mar 2120-1231030
31 Dec 2019-71510
31 Dec 1915-41280

Quality Earnings: VLTA is currently unprofitable.

Growing Profit Margin: VLTA is currently unprofitable.

Free Cash Flow vs Earnings Analysis

Past Earnings Growth Analysis

Earnings Trend: Insufficient data to determine if VLTA's year-on-year earnings growth rate was positive over the past 5 years.

Accelerating Growth: Unable to compare VLTA's earnings growth over the past year to its 5-year average as it is currently unprofitable

Earnings vs Industry: VLTA is unprofitable, making it difficult to compare its past year earnings growth to the Specialty Retail industry (-12.2%).

Return on Equity

High ROE: VLTA has a negative Return on Equity (-102.19%), as it is currently unprofitable.

Return on Assets

Return on Capital Employed

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Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2023/04/02 13:47
End of Day Share Price 2023/03/30 00:00
Earnings2022/12/31
Annual Earnings2022/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

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Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Volta Inc. is covered by 7 analysts. 3 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Jonathan DorsheimerCanaccord Genuity
Matt SummervilleD.A. Davidson & Co.
Mark DelaneyGoldman Sachs