Lordstown Motors Has a New CEO. The Stock Is Soaring.

Lordstown volition statesman accumulation of its Endurance electrical motortruck aboriginal this year.

Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg

Ninivaggi takes implicit from committee seat Angela Strand, who ran the institution aft the departure of Steve Burns successful June. Burns near soon aft the institution received a “going concern” informing from its auditor. That warning, essentially, means the institution mightiness not person the superior required to support operating without a important change.

The institution is also being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department regarding the handling of its SPAC merger and signaling of conveyance preorders. Vehicle preorders were an contented raised successful a antagonistic probe study by a abbreviated seller successful March. The abbreviated seller’s study prompted an interior probe whose findings were published in June. The institution has disputed claims made successful the abbreviated seller’s report.

Lordstown banal deed a 52-week debased connected Aug. 19. Shares person rallied disconnected the bottommost and, including Thursday’s gains, are up astir 44% from a nadir of $4.77 a share. Still, shares are disconnected astir 80% from their 52-week precocious of astir $32.

Ninivaggi is the erstwhile CEO of Icahn Enterprises (IEP) and has served successful a “variety of elder enactment positions successful the automotive and proscription industries,” according to the company. His erstwhile automotive jobs see stints astatine parts suppliers Lear (LEA) and Federal-Mogul. He besides serves connected the committee of Garrett Motion (GTX), the turbocharger concern spun retired of Honeywell International (HON).

“I judge the request for full-size electrical pickup trucks volition beryllium beardown and the Endurance truck…has the accidental to seizure a meaningful stock of the market,” said Ninivaggi. The Endurance, Lordstown’s archetypal product, is owed to commencement accumulation successful the coming months. “I look guardant to moving with the talented Lordstown absorption team, our suppliers and different partners to bring the Endurance to marketplace and maximize the worth of our assets.”

Ninivaggi volition person a pugnacious job. Wall Street has soured connected Lordstown stock. Only 1 retired of 8 analysts, oregon 13%, rates shares Buy. The average Buy-rating ratio for small-capitalization stocks is astir 60%. What’s more, 50% complaint shares Sell. The mean price target of the sell-rated analysts is astir $1.55 a share.

Write to Al Root astatine allen.root@dowjones.com