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After much thought, I’m coming around to the idea that James Bond might take a punt on Aston Martin (LSE:AML) shares. After all, he’s never been one to shy away from risk, and I’d say there’s a fair amount attached to this stock.
With this in mind, here are a couple of things that might tempt 007 to pull the trigger on Aston Martin shares (assuming, of course, that the fictional spy existed in the form of an adventurous investor today).
Top-tier brand
The first reason someone like Bond may want to invest is the unique brand. Among a cohort of the super-rich, and lots of petrolheads, Aston Martin’s cars embody style and glamour.
I’ve seen this firsthand out and about. Whether it’s the new DB12 S or the older models, Aston Martins always turn heads. Only really Ferrari and Lamborghini do something similar, in my experience.
The firm says it currently has “one of the most modern and broadest ranges in the ultra-luxury high performance market“. I don’t think that’s hype or exaggeration.
Plus, it’s finally shipping Valhalla supercars, which reportedly start at £850,000 (before personalisation options likely take the price above £1m). Aston delivered over 200 of these vehicles in the first half of 2026, boosting gross margins by 590 basis points to 33.8%.
Enormous recovery potential
As we know, 007 is also fond of high-stakes poker games. And one look at the share price chart tells us this is a dicey investment — the stock is down 94% in five years, resulting in the company being demoted from the FTSE 250 last month.
Many things have gone wrong over the past few years, but it’s the carmaker’s dire financials that have done the damage. Consistently wide losses combined with a stressed balance sheet (net debt was £1.55bn at the end of June) have forced investors to push the ejector button.
However, with a market cap of just £400m or so against expected sales of £1.52bn this year, a successful recovery could deliver huge upside for shareholders.
With the stock on its proverbial backside around 40p, this could be the sort of high-risk, high-reward play that appeals to Bond.
Licence to print money?
So, could this stock make risk-tolerant investors a fortune? It’s not impossible. But only if — and it’s a big if — the firm can stem its losses and generate positive cash flow.
Unfortunately, the backdrop of US tariffs, inflation and geopolitical turbulence in the Middle East isn’t helpful. Therefore, while the firm expects free cash outflow to “materially improve” this year, I’m not yet confident about a money-printing turnaround.
Even if Aston Martin reaches breakeven on an operating basis, which is possible, it will still post a significant overall loss due to its colossal debt pile. The constant need for further cash injections to keep the show on the road alarms me.
Let’s be honest, James Bond probably wouldn’t spend much time in a plush hotel bar poring over Aston Martin’s financial statements. He’d probably just stick a few grand down on the shares and order another vodka martini.
While I love the Aston Martin brand, I’m not tempted to take a punt. For me, the risks are simply too high. I’ll leave this one to Bond.
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Ben McPoland owns shares in Ferrari.
This story originally appeared on Motley Fool
