

Investor's Corner
Rivian, down 45% since IPO, poised for 160% surge: Morgan Stanley
Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) stock is down 45 percent since its initial public offering in November when shares started publicly trading at around $106.75. Currently, Rivian shares hover around the $55 mark. Its drastic fall in the first few months of being publicly traded is not keeping Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas from shying away from an incredibly bullish position, stating it will surge around 160 percent from its current “overly depressed” levels.
At the time of writing, Rivian shares were trading at $55.24.
Rivian had all the advantages an up-and-coming automaker would want. It has a savvy CEO, a sizeable investment backed by Amazon, one of the largest companies globally, and a line of products that had consumers thirsty for more information. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the company’s initial production dates back several times. After a year of delays, Rivian started delivering the R1T pickup late last year.
Rivian ends 2021 with 1,015 vehicles produced, COO retires from company
In terms of its stock performance, things have not gone according to plan. Rivian peaked at levels just shy of $180 per share, fed mostly by analyst narratives that pushed the company as “the next big thing” in the sector. However, EV production is proving increasingly difficult for many automakers. Long-standing OEMs like Volkswagen and GM have struggled in early projects, and startups like Rivian and Lucid are yielding numbers that are just fractional compared to industry leaders Tesla.
However, Tesla’s production history also showed lagging periods early on, only to iron out the bottlenecks and become the largest manufacturer of EVs, ramping to over 900,000 annual units fourteen years after producing its first model.
Jonas, who has covered the EV sector for years, says if any auto company can dig itself out of the depths, it’s Rivian.
Credit: MotorTrend
“An IPO that preceded the December market top, the reality-check of supply chain bottlenecks (normal in auto land, perhaps not normal in tech land), and the gut-check of having partner Amazon exercise its right to secure EDVs from alternative vendors (Stellantis, Daimler) has shaken investor confidence and, we think, provides an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to a company, product cycle, and business model that we believe has a greater chance [of] being a winner in this industry than most other EV competitors,” Jonas wrote in a note to investors. “While Rivian is at a far earlier stage in its industrial journey than Tesla, we do not see this company as just a ‘concept stock’ either. The road to ramping production will be choppy, but we expect largely due to supply rather than demand.”
Rivian shares spiked briefly earlier this week following reports of an increase in production output of the R1T. Rivian was unable to comment on the matter when we asked for clarification. The routine sell-off of tech stocks this week has also likely contributed to Rivian’s sharp fall. After all, Tesla’s impressive Q4 2021 Earnings Call did not yield any gains in the way of the industry leader, as the company’s stock is down nearly 8% this week.
Jonas holds a $147 price target for Rivian, with a “Buy” rating. Jonas is ranked 656th, out of 7,760 analysts. He has a success rate of 52% with an average return of 11.4%, according to TipRanks.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is not a RIVN Shareholder.
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Investor's Corner
Tesla could save $2.5B by replacing 10% of staff with Optimus: Morgan Stanley
Jonas assigned each robot a net present value (NPV) of $200,000.

Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) near-term outlook may be clouded by political controversies and regulatory headwinds, but Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas sees a glimmer of opportunity for the electric vehicle maker.
In a new note, the Morgan Stanley analyst estimated that Tesla could save $2.5 billion by replacing just 10% of its workforce with its Optimus robots, assigning each robot a net present value (NPV) of $200,000.
Morgan Stanley highlights Optimus’ savings potential
Jonas highlighted the potential savings on Tesla’s workforce of 125,665 employees in his note, suggesting that the utilization of Optimus robots could significantly reduce labor costs. The analyst’s note arrived shortly after Tesla reported Q2 2025 deliveries of 384,122 vehicles, which came close to Morgan Stanley’s estimate and slightly under the consensus of 385,086.
“Tesla has 125,665 employees worldwide (year-end 2024). On our calculations, a 10% substitution to humanoid at approximately ($200k NPV/humanoid) could be worth approximately $2.5bn,” Jonas wrote, as noted by Street Insider.
Jonas also issued some caution on Tesla Energy, whose battery storage deployments were flat year over year at 9.6 GWh. Morgan Stanley had expected Tesla Energy to post battery storage deployments of 14 GWh in the second quarter.
Musk’s political ambitions
The backdrop to Jonas’ note included Elon Musk’s involvement in U.S. politics. The Tesla CEO recently floated the idea of launching a new political party, following a poll on X that showed support for the idea. Though a widely circulated FEC filing was labeled false by Musk, the CEO does seem intent on establishing a third political party in the United States.
Jonas cautioned that Musk’s political efforts could divert attention and resources from Tesla’s core operations, adding near-term pressure on TSLA stock. “We believe investors should be prepared for further devotion of resources (financial, time/attention) in the direction of Mr. Musk’s political priorities which may add further near-term pressure to TSLA shares,” Jonas stated.
Investor's Corner
Two Tesla bulls share differing insights on Elon Musk, the Board, and politics
Two noted Tesla bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.

Two noted Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.
While Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called on Tesla’s board to take concrete steps to ensure Musk remains focused on the EV maker, longtime Tesla supporter Cathie Wood of Ark Invest reaffirmed her confidence in the CEO and the company’s leadership.
Ives warns of distraction risk amid crucial growth phase
In a recent note, Ives stated that Tesla is at a critical point in its history, as the company is transitioning from an EV maker towards an entity that is more focused on autonomous driving and robotics. He then noted that the Board of Directors should “act now” and establish formal boundaries around Musk’s political activities, which could be a headwind on TSLA stock.
Ives laid out a three-point plan that he believes could ensure that the electric vehicle maker is led with proper leadership until the end of the decade. First off, the analyst noted that a new “incentive-driven pay package for Musk as CEO that increases his ownership of Tesla up to ~25% voting power” is necessary. He also stated that the Board should establish clear guidelines for how much time Musk must devote to Tesla operations in order to receive his compensation, and a dedicated oversight committee must be formed to monitor the CEO’s political activities.
Ives, however, highlighted that Tesla should move forward with Musk at its helm. “We urge the Board to act now and move the Tesla story forward with Musk as CEO,” he wrote, reiterating its Outperform rating on Tesla stock and $500 per share price target.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to Ives’ suggestions with a brief comment on X. “Shut up, Dan,” Musk wrote.
Cathie Wood reiterates trust in Musk and Tesla board
Meanwhile, Ark Investment Management founder Cathie Wood expressed little concern over Musk’s latest controversies. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Wood said, “We do trust the board and the board’s instincts here and we stay out of politics.” She also noted that Ark has navigated Musk-related headlines since it first invested in Tesla.
Wood also pointed to Musk’s recent move to oversee Tesla’s sales operations in the U.S. and Europe as evidence of his renewed focus in the electric vehicle maker. “When he puts his mind on something, he usually gets the job done,” she said. “So I think he’s much less distracted now than he was, let’s say, in the White House 24/7,” she said.
TSLA stock is down roughly 25% year-to-date but has gained about 19% over the past 12 months, as noted in a StocksTwits report.
Investor's Corner
Cantor Fitzgerald maintains Tesla (TSLA) ‘Overweight’ rating amid Q2 2025 deliveries
Cantor Fitzgerald is holding firm on its bullish stance for the electric vehicle maker.

Cantor Fitzgerald is holding firm on its bullish stance for Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), reiterating its “Overweight” rating and $355 price target amidst the company’s release of its Q2 2025 vehicle delivery and production report.
Tesla delivered 384,122 vehicles in Q2 2025, falling below last year’s Q2 figure of 443,956 units. Despite softer demand in some countries in Europe and ongoing controversies surrounding CEO Elon Musk, the firm maintained its view that Tesla is a long-term growth story in the EV sector.
Tesla’s Q2 results
Among the 384,122 vehicles that Tesla delivered in the second quarter, 373,728 were Model 3 and Model Y. The remaining 10,394 units were attributed to the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck. Production was largely flat year-over-year at 410,244 units.
In the energy division, Tesla deployed 9.6 GWh of energy storage in Q2, which was above last year’s 9.4 GWh. Overall, Tesla continues to hold a strong position with $95.7 billion in trailing twelve-month revenue and a 17.7% gross margin, as noted in a report from Investing.com.
Tesla’s stock is still volatile
Tesla’s market cap fell to $941 billion on Monday amid volatility that was likely caused in no small part by CEO Elon Musk’s political posts on X over the weekend. Musk has announced that he is forming the America Party to serve as a third option for voters in the United States, a decision that has earned the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Despite Musk’s controversial nature, some analysts remain bullish on TSLA stock. Apart from Cantor Fitzgerald, Canaccord Genuity also reiterated its “Buy” rating on Tesla shares, with the firm highlighting the company’s positive Q2 vehicle deliveries, which exceeded its expectations by 24,000 units. Cannacord also noted that Tesla remains strong in several markets despite its year-over-year decline in deliveries.
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