Investor's Corner
Tesla stock (TSLA) rallies again amid successful Model 3 store debut and more Semi truck orders
Early last week, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) surprised the street, beating expectations and rallying up 6 percent during the day’s trading. While the reasons behind the surge remained unknown, speculations among Tesla’s enthusiasts were high that the consistently positive reviews on its latest and possibly most disruptive vehicle, the Model 3, helped in improving the sentiments of investors. This week, it seems like something similar is set to happen again, with the California-based electric carmaker’s stock up over 2 percent in early morning trading.
While shares of Tesla closed down at $336.22 last Friday, over the past weekend and into Martin Luther King Jr. Day, investors headed into Tuesday trading with positive sentiments and expectations. By 10:20 EST, TSLA shares were breaching the $343.00 barrier or up 2.02 percent from Friday’s close.
Just like the past week’s 6 percent rally, this week’s surge in shares of TSLA seems to be partly driven by the ongoing momentum the California-based electric car maker is enjoying with regards to the Model 3 and developments taking place in its energy division. Over the past weekend alone, interest in the company’s first mass-market electric compact sedan was at an all-time high after Tesla finally displayed the Model 3 to the public at its stores in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay area. Reminiscent of the day of Model 3 Mania, interested buyers quite literally lined up outside Tesla’s stores to get a chance to experience the game-changing electric car.
Apart from this, the company’s commercial truck, the Tesla Semi, is also enjoying a lot of interest not only from companies in the United States but also from other countries abroad. Over the past week, reports emerged that Norway’s Postal Norge had filed an order for the electric long-hauler. Even more recently, UAE-based environmental and waste management firm Bee’ah revealed that it had ordered 50 Tesla Semis immediately after the quad-electric motor truck was unveiled last year. The Middle Eastern conglomerate further announced that it had signed an agreement with Tesla to install the company’s Powerpack system at the company’s upcoming headquarters.
Performance of Tesla shares (green) compared to US rivals GM and Ford [Source: Yahoo Finance]
Overall, the start of this week seems to be favorable for the auto industry. Even Detroit’s biggest players such as Ford (NASDAQ: F) and GM (NASDAQ: GM) saw a surge in their stock prices. Ford, for one, saw a 0.55 percent rise in its stock, trading at $13.31 per share and attaining a market cap of $52.884 billion. GM, on the other hand, did just as well, trading at $45.10 and attaining a market cap of $64.082 billion.
Just like how Tesla’s stocks might be affected by the positive reception of the Model 3, the spike in the shares of Ford and GM might partly be the result of the company’s renewed commitment to an electric future. Just recently, Ford announced that it is investing $11 billion into its electric car development program, with the legacy automaker aiming to release multiple green vehicles within the next couple of years. GM’s Chevy Bolt EV seems to be doing its part as well, encouraging the auto firm to accelerate its eventual transition to the development and release of electric vehicles.
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) has landed an elusive “must own” status from Wall Street firm Melius, according to a new note released early this week.
Analyst Rob Wertheimer said Tesla will lead the charge in world-changing tech, given the company’s focus on self-driving, autonomy, and Robotaxi. In a note to investors, Wertheimer said “the world is about to change, dramatically,” because of the advent of self-driving cars.
He looks at the industry and sees many potential players, but the firm says there will only be one true winner:
“Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is.”
The major argument is that autonomy is nearing a tipping point where years of chipping away at the software and data needed to develop a sound, safe, and effective form of autonomous driving technology turn into an avalanche of progress.
Wertheimer believes autonomy is a $7 trillion sector,” and in the coming years, investors will see “hundreds of billions in value shift to Tesla.”
A lot of the major growth has to do with the all-too-common “butts in seats” strategy, as Wertheimer believes that only a fraction of people in the United States have ridden in a self-driving car. In Tesla’s regard, only “tens of thousands” have tried Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version, which is v14.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 – Full Review, the Good and the Bad
When it reaches a widespread rollout and more people are able to experience Tesla Full Self-Driving v14, he believes “it will shock most people.”
Citing things like Tesla’s massive data pool from its vehicles, as well as its shift to end-to-end neural nets in 2021 and 2022, as well as the upcoming AI5 chip, which will be put into a handful of vehicles next year, but will reach a wider rollout in 2027, Melius believes many investors are not aware of the pace of advancement in self-driving.
Tesla’s lead in its self-driving efforts is expanding, Wertheimer says. The company is making strategic choices on everything from hardware to software, manufacturing, and overall vehicle design. He says Tesla has left legacy automakers struggling to keep pace as they still rely on outdated architectures and fragmented supplier systems.
Tesla shares are up over 6 percent at 10:40 a.m. on the East Coast, trading at around $416.
Investor's Corner
Tesla analyst maintains $500 PT, says FSD drives better than humans now
The team also met with Tesla leaders for more than an hour to discuss autonomy, chip development, and upcoming deployment plans.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) received fresh support from Piper Sandler this week after analysts toured the Fremont Factory and tested the company’s latest Full Self-Driving software. The firm reaffirmed its $500 price target, stating that FSD V14 delivered a notably smooth robotaxi demonstration and may already perform at levels comparable to, if not better than, average human drivers.
The team also met with Tesla leaders for more than an hour to discuss autonomy, chip development, and upcoming deployment plans.
Analysts highlight autonomy progress
During more than 75 minutes of focused discussions, analysts reportedly focused on FSD v14’s updates. Piper Sandler’s team pointed to meaningful strides in perception, object handling, and overall ride smoothness during the robotaxi demo.
The visit also included discussions on updates to Tesla’s in-house chip initiatives, its Optimus program, and the growth of the company’s battery storage business. Analysts noted that Tesla continues refining cost structures and capital expenditure expectations, which are key elements in future margin recovery, as noted in a Yahoo Finance report.
Analyst Alexander Potter noted that “we think FSD is a truly impressive product that is (probably) already better at driving than the average American.” This conclusion was strengthened by what he described as a “flawless robotaxi ride to the hotel.”
Street targets diverge on TSLA
While Piper Sandler stands by its $500 target, it is not the highest estimate on the Street. Wedbush, for one, has a $600 per share price target for TSLA stock.
Other institutions have also weighed in on TSLA stock as of late. HSBC reiterated a Reduce rating with a $131 target, citing a gap between earnings fundamentals and the company’s market value. By contrast, TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating and a $509 target, pointing to strong autonomous driving demonstrations in Austin and the pace of software-driven improvements.
Stifel analysts also lifted their price target for Tesla to $508 per share over the company’s ongoing robotaxi and FSD programs.
Investor's Corner
Tesla wins $508 price target from Stifel as Robotaxi rollout gains speed
The firm cited meaningful progress in Tesla’s robotaxi roadmap, ongoing Full Self-Driving enhancements, and the company’s long-term growth initiatives.
Tesla received another round of bullish analyst updates this week, led by Stifel, raising its price target to $508 from $483 while reaffirming a “Buy” rating. The firm cited meaningful progress in Tesla’s robotaxi roadmap, ongoing Full Self-Driving enhancements, and the company’s long-term growth initiatives.
Robotaxi rollout, FSD updates, and new affordable cars
Stifel expects Tesla’s robotaxi fleet to expand into 8–10 major metropolitan areas by the end of 2025, including Austin, where early deployments without safety drivers are targeted before year-end. Additional markets under evaluation include Nevada, Florida, and Arizona, as noted in an Investing.com report. The firm also highlighted strong early performance for FSD Version 14, with upcoming releases adding new “reasoning capabilities” designed to improve complex decision-making using full 360-degree vision.
Tesla has also taken steps to offset the loss of U.S. EV tax credits by launching the Model Y Standard and Model 3 Standard at $39,990 and $36,990, Stifel noted. Both vehicles deliver more than 300 miles of range and are positioned to sustain demand despite shifting incentives. Stifel raised its EBITDA forecasts to $14.9 billion for 2025 and $19.5 billion for 2026, assigning partial valuation weightings to Tesla’s FSD, robotaxi, and Optimus initiatives.
TD Cowen also places an optimistic price target
TD Cowen reiterated its Buy rating with a $509 price target after a research tour of Giga Texas, citing production scale and operational execution as key strengths. The firm posted its optimistic price target following a recent Mobility Bus tour in Austin. The tour included a visit to Giga Texas, which offered fresh insights into the company’s operations and prospects.
Additional analyst movements include Truist Securities maintaining its Hold rating following shareholder approval of Elon Musk’s compensation plan, viewing the vote as reducing leadership uncertainty.
@teslarati Tesla Full Self-Driving yields for pedestrians while human drivers do not…the future is here! #tesla #teslafsd #fullselfdriving ♬ 2 Little 2 Late – Levi & Mario
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