Investor's Corner
Lucid Motors adds former Waymo Treasurer as CFO as company prepares to go public
Lucid Motors has announced that it has appointed former Waymo Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations Sherry House as its Chief Financial Officer ahead of the automaker’s decision to become a publicly-traded company. Along with the addition of House to the Lucid executive team, the company has added several other new executives who will contribute key insights to the automaker’s financial, technological, and strategic plans as it prepares for the first deliveries of the Lucid Air sedan.
Sherry House: Lucid Motors’ new Chief Financial Officer
Sherry House has officially joined the company on May 5th, leaving her post as Waymo’s Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations after nearly four years. During House’s time at Waymo, the University of Michigan grad built and led a team that handled the company’s financial health and investment plans. Her LinkedIn page says she also led all funding and financing initiatives and managed investor communications to promote growth. House’s expertise with both large Fortune 500 companies and small, emerging startups makes her an ideal candidate for the position of Lucid’s CFO. Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson is excited about his company’s new addition.
Sherry House leaves her post as Waymo’s Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations to join Lucid Motors as the company’s Chief Financial Officer.
“We are delighted to have Sherry join us. Her rare combination of financial and technical experience bolsters our core leadership team in a pivotal year for Lucid as we prepare to transition to a publicly traded company and launch the Lucid Air,” Rawlinson said. “We stand on the cusp of delivering the world’s most advanced electric vehicles, and now with the arrival of Sherry, augmented by the ongoing, invaluable contribution of our Vice President of Finance, Mike Smuts, we continue to build out what I believe to be the EV industry’s strongest leadership team.”
Other New Additions: Margaret Burgraff, Sanjay Chandra, and Jeff Curry
Lucid is making several other additions to its executive team in preparation for the Air’s launch in a few months. Along with House, the company added Margaret Burgraff as the Vice President of Software Validation, Sanjay Chandra as Vice President of Information Technology, and Jeff Curry as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. The additions are critical in Lucid’s eventual introduction as a public company where investors can openly buy and sell shares. In an emerging market of competitive electric vehicle companies, Lucid is preparing to cater to investors in any way possible. It starts with surrounding an already impressive team of executives with more seasoned veterans who come from the automotive and technology sectors.
Margaret Burgraff is joining Lucid with the title of VP of Software Validation. After 25 years in the industry with companies such as Apple and Intel, where she most recently served as VP of Global Developer Relations, Burgraff was responsible for co-engineering and enabling global independent software vendors to work best with Intel’s product portfolio. Additionally, she has presented to large, global audiences that include topics like Artificial Intelligence, data, and female empowerment.
Sanjay Chara will become Lucid’s first-ever VP of Information Technology. His career has culminated with over 20 years of experience with large companies like Workday, PayPal, and Virgin Mobile. His most recent role was CIO and Head of Cloud Operations at TiVo/Xperi, a position he held for over eight years. He was responsible for cloud operations, infrastructure, and eCommerce, resulting in “explosive business growth and customer expansion.
Finally, Lucid brings on Jeff Curry to take the role of VP of Marketing and Communications. After serving as a successful member of several iconic brands and high-tech startups, such as SiriusXM, Saab, Audi of America, Ferrari North America, and Jaguar, Curry’s most notable work has been in large, well-known events like the Super Bowl. Curry joined Lucid after leaving Jaguar but led the e-mobility campaign strategy for Audi. He joined Lucid’s team as a consultant in December 2019 but now has gained a permanent position as the automaker’s VP of Marketing and Communications.
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
Investor's Corner
Tesla receives major institutional boost with Nomura’s rising stake
The move makes Tesla Nomura’s 10th-largest holding at about 1% of its entire portfolio.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has gained fresh institutional support, with Nomura Asset Management expanding its position in the automaker.
Nomura boosted its Tesla holdings by 4.2%, adding 47,674 shares and bringing its total position to more than 1.17 million shares valued at roughly $373.6 million. The move makes Tesla Nomura’s 10th-largest holding at about 1% of its entire portfolio.
Institutional investors and TSLA
Nomura’s filing was released alongside several other fund updates. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings by 11.8%, as noted in a MarketBeat report, and Revolve Wealth Partners lifted its TSLA position by 21.2%. Bison Wealth increased its Tesla stake by 52.2%, AMG National Trust Bank increased its position in shares of Tesla by 11.8%, and FAS Wealth Partners increased its TSLA holdings by 22.1%. About 66% of all outstanding Tesla shares are now owned by institutional investors.
The buying comes shortly after Tesla reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $0.50 per share compared with the $0.48 consensus. Revenue reached $28.10 billion, topping Wall Street’s $24.98 billion estimate. Despite the earnings beat, Tesla continues to trade at a steep premium relative to peers, with a market cap hovering around $1.34 trillion and a price-to-earnings ratio near 270.
Recent insider sales
Some Tesla insiders have sold stock as of late. CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares in early September for just over $918,000, reducing his personal stake by about 21%. Director James R. Murdoch executed a far larger sale, offloading 120,000 shares for roughly $42 million and trimming his holdings by nearly 15%. Over the past three months, Tesla insiders have collectively sold 202,606 shares valued at approximately $75.6 million, as per SEC disclosures.
Tesla is currently entering its next phase of growth, and if it is successful, it could very well become the world’s most valuable company as a result. The company has several high-profile projects expected to be rolled out in the coming years, including Optimus, the humanoid robot, and the Cybercab, an autonomous two-seater with the potential to change the face of roads across the globe.
@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
Investor's Corner
Ron Baron states Tesla and SpaceX are lifetime investments
Baron, one of Tesla’s longest-standing bulls, reiterated that his personal stake in the company remains fully intact even as volatility pressures the broader market.
Billionaire investor Ron Baron says he isn’t touching a single share of his personal Tesla holdings despite the recent selloff in the tech sector. Baron, one of Tesla’s longest-standing bulls, reiterated that his personal stake in the company remains fully intact even as volatility pressures the broader market.
Baron doubles down on Tesla
Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Baron stated that he is largely unfazed by the market downturn, describing his approach during the selloff as simply “looking” for opportunities. He emphasized that Tesla remains the centerpiece of his long-term strategy, recalling that although Baron Funds once sold 30% of its Tesla position due to client pressure, he personally refused to trim any of his personal holdings.
“We sold 30% for clients. I did not sell personally a single share,” he said. Baron’s exposure highlighted this stance, stating that roughly 40% of his personal net worth is invested in Tesla alone. The legendary investor stated that he has already made about $8 billion from Tesla from an investment of $400 million when he started, and believes that figure could rise fivefold over the next decade as the company scales its technology, manufacturing, and autonomy roadmap.
A lifelong investment
Baron’s commitment extends beyond Tesla. He stated that he also holds about 25% of his personal wealth in SpaceX and another 35% in Baron mutual funds, creating a highly concentrated portfolio built around Elon Musk–led companies. During the interview, Baron revisited a decades-old promise he made to his fund’s board when he sought approval to invest in publicly traded companies.
“I told the board, ‘If you let me invest a certain amount of money, then I will promise that I won’t sell any of my stock. I will be the last person out of the stock,’” he said. “I will not sell a single share of my shares until my clients sold 100% of their shares. … And I don’t expect to sell in my lifetime Tesla or SpaceX.”
Watch Ron Baron’s CNBC interview below.
@teslarati :rotating_light: This is why you need to use off-peak rates at Tesla Superchargers! #tesla #evcharging #fyp ♬ Blue Moon – Muspace Lofi
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