+++ NIO expectations ahead of the quarterly figures +++

The electric vehicle manufacturer Nio ($NIO (+6.4%) ) will announce its second quarter results on Thursday before the market opens.

Wall Street is expecting a loss per share of -$0.30 on revenue of $2.44 billion. In each of the last two years, NIO has beaten earnings forecasts and revenue expectations by 38%.

Nio competes vigorously in the Chinese EV market, but reported a decline in deliveries in August and July. The resignation of CFO Steven Wei Feng adds to the challenges facing the Shanghai-based company.

"Analysts at Seeking Alpha and their quant ratings are cautious and rate the stock as a hold, while Wall Street analysts recommend it as a buy."

Despite expected strong sales growth, significant operating losses are likely to remain. Long-term prospects, such as battery replacements, could be promising but will take time to impact profitability.

Morgan Stanley analyst Tim Hsiao expects the gross profit margin for the second quarter to be in line with the company's targets, thanks to an improved product mix and economies of scale.

NIO recently unveiled ambitious plans to expand its charging stations in China, but the stock is down 54% so far this year, compared with a nearly 16% rise in the S&P 500 Index.

EPS estimates for the past three months have been revised up three times and none down, while revenue estimates have been revised up four times and none down.