If you want to understand the soul of American capitalism, you look at General Motors. But if you want to see the most gut-wrenching, "phoenix from the ashes" financial saga of the 21st century, you look at the history of gm stock price. Honestly, it's not just a line on a chart. It is a messy, complicated story about a company that died, came back to life, and is currently wrestling with a world that doesn't want to use gasoline anymore.
As of early 2026, GM shares are hovering around $80.82. That might not sound like a blockbuster number compared to the tech giants, but consider this: the stock has nearly doubled from its 52-week low of $41.60. It’s a wild swing that tells you everything you need to know about how the market views Detroit right now.
The Day the Music Died (and the Rebirth)
Most people forget that the "old" GM stock basically went to zero. In 2009, the global financial crisis didn't just bruise the automaker—it flattened it. General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. If you held shares then, they became worthless ticker symbols like GMGMQ.
The "New GM" we trade today (NYSE: GM) had its IPO on November 18, 2010. It was a massive deal. The shares priced at $33. For years after that, the stock was... kind of boring. It traded in a range that made investors pull their hair out. For a long time, the history of gm stock price was defined by a struggle to stay above that initial IPO price. People called it "Government Motors" because the U.S. Treasury owned a massive chunk of it until 2013.
Breaking the $40 Ceiling
It took forever for the market to believe GM could be a growth company again. Between 2013 and 2020, the stock was mostly a dividend play. You bought it for the check in the mail, not because you expected the price to moon. Then 2020 happened. The pandemic hit, the world shut down, and the stock plummeted to under $18 in March 2020.
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But then something shifted. CEO Mary Barra went all-in on EVs (Electric Vehicles). She promised a future that was "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion." The market loved it. By early 2021, the stock finally broke its old patterns and soared toward the $60 mark.
The Great EV Whiplash of 2025
The most recent chapter in the history of gm stock price is perhaps the most dramatic. Throughout 2024 and 2025, the hype for electric vehicles hit a brick wall. Demand cooled off significantly in the U.S., and a shift in federal policies under the Trump administration in late 2025 changed the game again.
On January 8, 2026, GM announced it was taking a massive $7.1 billion hit. Most of that was a $6 billion charge related to pulling back from its ambitious EV plans. You’d think the stock would crater, right? Wrong.
Investors actually cheered.
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By scaling back on expensive EV projects that weren't selling and focusing on high-margin internal combustion trucks and SUVs, GM showed it cared about current profits over future dreams. Analyst Alexander Potter at Piper Sandler recently raised his price target for GM to $98, calling the shift a "mix-shift away from EVs" that actually helps the bottom line.
- 2010 IPO: $33.00
- 2020 Pandemic Low: ~$17.50
- 2022 Post-Pandemic High: ~$65.00
- Early 2026 Price: ~$80.82
What Most People Get Wrong About the GM Ticker
There’s a common misconception that because GM is an "old" company, it's a safe, steady value stock. That’s just not true anymore. GM has become a high-beta play on the future of transportation and autonomous driving.
Take Cruise, their autonomous driving division. GM fully acquired it and has recently pivoted the strategy. Instead of just trying to build robotaxis, they are integrating "eyes-off" driving tech into personal cars, which is expected to hit the market in 2028. This move shifted the history of gm stock price from being purely about how many Silverados they sold to being about their software margins.
The Dividend Reality Check
If you're looking at the historical dividend, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. They suspended the dividend during the pandemic and only brought it back in 2022. As of now, the yield is around 0.74%. That’s pretty low for an automaker. Why? Because they are using their cash to buy back shares instead. In 2025 alone, they've aggressively reduced the share count to boost earnings per share (EPS).
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Actionable Insights for Investors
Looking at the history of gm stock price, it’s clear that this isn't your grandfather's car company. It’s a cyclical beast that is currently being revalued by Wall Street.
If you're thinking about jumping in, here is what you need to track:
- Inventory Levels: If the lots are full of trucks that aren't moving, the stock will drop.
- The $85 Resistance: The stock hit an all-time high of $85.13 on January 8, 2026. It hasn't quite sustained a break above that yet.
- Capital Allocation: Watch if they continue the massive $10 billion-plus buyback programs. That’s what’s really propping up the price right now.
To get a real handle on where this goes, you should pull the last three quarterly 10-Q filings. Look specifically at the "EBIT-adjusted" margins for their North American combustion business. That is the engine—literally—driving the stock's current rally. If those margins stay above 10%, the "old school" business will continue to fund the "new school" tech, potentially pushing the stock toward that $100 psychological barrier.