Connect with us
lucid amp-1 factory entrance lucid amp-1 factory entrance

Investor's Corner

Lucid cushions financial position with $1.515B capital raise

Credit: Lucid Group

Published

on

Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) announced it had completed a capital raise of $1.515 billion to cushion its financial position as it continues to ramp up the production of its electric vehicles.

The automaker said it had successfully completed its “at-the-market” equity offering program by selling more than 56.2 million shares of common stock. The sale of the shares grossed roughly $600 million in proceeds.

The capital raise of $1.515 billion includes $915 million the company expects to raise through the placement of roughly 85.7 million shares to an affiliate of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is set to be settled later this month.

In all, the billion-and-a-half dollars Lucid raised will be used for “general corporate purposes,” which could include capital expenditures and working capital, among other uses.

Advertisement

Lucid said the additional capital should help strengthen its balance sheet and liquidity position. The automaker has been working to ramp up production of its several trim levels of the Air all-electric sedan. However, Lucid has struggled with its cash on hand.

Barron’s said Wall Street analysts expect Lucid to spend $2.7 billion and $2 billion in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The company reported it had about $3.3 billion in cash at the end of Q3, and with profitability not yet arriving and an unpredictable market and supply chain, the capital raise should bring more stability to the company’s financial situation.

Lucid stock is down over 82 percent this year and is just one of many victims in a broader market downturn. Despite the company’s relatively weak financial state, Lucid still offers plenty in EV tech and performance. But the question remains whether the company will be able to navigate through the most challenging part of being an EV startup: early production phases.

Despite reducing delivery outlooks for 2022 by 50 percent, expecting 13,000 units by the of the year this and revising it to only 6,500 units just a few months later, Lucid is falling victim to such unpredictable market conditions despite growing consumer demand for electric vehicles. As EVs become more mainstream, consumers are split between affordability and luxury, and Lucid’s cars do not fit the former but the latter instead.

Advertisement

Lucid Motors adopting assertive tactics to save Air sedan orders: report

Early EV projects are usually less cost-competitive and act as more of a fundraising effort for later models that will be strategically priced at lower points. Tesla’s Master Plan outlined this technique in the early 2000s. Even the EV leader felt financial pressure early on, as Musk and other Tesla executives begged investors for more funding before receiving it around Christmas 2008.

Despite the similarities between Lucid and Tesla’s early production days, Musk has stated he isn’t holding out much hope for the EV startup.

Disclosure: Joey Klender is not an LCID Shareholder. He is a TSLA investor.

Advertisement

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

Investor's Corner

Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’

Published

on

Credit: Lucid

Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.

The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.

The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

Advertisement

Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”

Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”

Napoli said:

“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.

Advertisement

As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.

We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.

My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.

I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”

Advertisement

It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.

Advertisement

Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.

Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.

Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

Published

on

Credit: Lucid

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.

Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”

Twork said:

Advertisement

Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.

Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.

Advertisement

Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.

Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Tesla gets price target upgrade on heels of crazy successful auto quarter

Published

on

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla received a price target upgrade just on the heels of what was a crazy successful quarter for its automotive business, as the company reported a delivery beat of over 15 percent for Q2.

Jefferies analysts are upping Tesla’s price target (NASDAQ: TSLA) to $400 from $375, while maintaining their “Hold” rating on shares, and the strong automotive deliveries from Q2 is a big reason. However, there are some other catalysts that Jefferies believes position Tesla for a strong position in the second half of the year.

Strong Deliveries

Tesla reported 480,000 deliveries for Q2, while Wall Street was between 395,000 and 405,000, as an overall consensus. It was an incredibly strong quarter from a delivery perspective, and Tesla sold well more than it produced during the three months.

Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent

Advertisement

While vehicle deliveries are not necessarily looked at in the light that they used to be, Tesla still maintains a lot of advantages for keeping deliveries strong. With the loss of the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year, Tesla still maintains a strong demand case for its EVs.

Robotaxi Performance

Tesla has been operating Robotaxi for over a year now, as it launched in Austin in mid-2025. That program has expanded to Houston and Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and, most recently, Miami, Florida, the suite’s first appearance in the Sunshine State.

While the Robotaxi suite is still in its early phases and Tesla is working through things like fleet size and wait times, the company has been able to undercut the pricing of its competitors and has a great safety record.

Merger Speculation with Tesla and SpaceX

This is perhaps the biggest topic that many are speaking about with Tesla and SpaceX, and it is the one thing that seems to be on the mind of every investor.

Advertisement

Jefferies warns that growing talk of a Tesla-SpaceX merger could cause Tesla stock to trade more like a SpaceX proxy, which may disconnect it from underlying automotive fundamentals. SpaceX has a lot going for it, especially its compute deals that have been widely publicized as of late.

Profitability in New Projects Could Take Some Time

Tesla has a few long-term ventures in the pipeline, most notably the Optimus project and Robotaxi, which is launched but will take several years to expand to a meaningful level that resonates with everyday people.

This is something that investors need to be careful of. Tesla’s projects could take some time to round out, so Jefferies advises that these may carry initial losses, rather than immediate profit. Seasoned Tesla investors have echoed something like this for a long time; they knew going in it would not be an open-and-shut strategy. It was going to take time.

These new projects are no different.

Advertisement
Continue Reading