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Investor's Corner

Tesla Giga Berlin impresses both Jefferies and UBS after factory visit

Image Credit: Tobias Lindh/Twitter

Published

3 years ago

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Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is only getting started, but it is already impressive for a number of financial companies. After a visit to Giga Berlin, teams from Jefferies and UBS shared some of their observations about the Germany-based plant, and they were pretty positive.

Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois, for example, maintained a “Buy” rating and adjusted his price target for TSLA stock to $350 per share. The analyst was optimistic following investor meetings and a visit to Gigafactory Berlin, noting that Tesla is leading a transformation in the industry.

“A day of investor meetings and a visit to Berlin’s new plant keep us convinced Tesla is leading industry transformation with a business model driven by resource efficiency,” the analyst commented.

UBS was also optimistic about Tesla, which reportedly highlighted that Giga Berlin could become the most profitable gigafactory with COGS that are closer to Giga Shanghai’s levels. The firm also noted that it expects auto gross margin to exceed 30%.

“Tesla highlighted that Berlin could become the most profitable gigafactory as COGS will get close to shanghai levels (ie, much better than Fremont) while European product mix will be the highest in the world, much higher than China. We agree with this assessment, which is why we expect auto gross margin to exceed 30% from H2/22 onwards,” UBS noted.

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Particularly interesting were UBS’ observations that a number of Giga Berlin’s sections are ready for a production rate of 10,000 vehicles per week. The firm also noted that by the end of the year, Tesla plans to fully use Giga Presses for the Model Y’s front-end underbody, which would be a step towards the company’s Germany-made vehicles also using a 4680 structural battery pack.

“We were the first broker to get a Giga Berlin tour together with key clients. We saw a very busy factory floor obviously making good progress towards the 5,000 car/week target run-rate by year-end. Parts of the plant are even ready for 1Ok vehicles/week. With a sequence time of 45 seconds by car and 10 hours from the body shop to final assembly, Tesla believes it is more than twice as fast as VW’s MEB plant.

“The key process innovation is Gigacasting, which replaces an army of welding robots for a single rear-end underbody part. By year-end, Tesla plans to do the front-end underbody also as a single die-cast piece with a total of 8 Giga Presses, enabling the use of a 4680 structural battery. Tesla expects to have in-house 4680 cell supply up and running by then next door,” UBS noted.

The observations of Jefferies and UBS were undoubtedly bullish for the electric vehicle maker. In a way, it appears that Tesla is currently putting some effort into showcasing its Germany-based factory to several financial firms. Tesla Head of Investor Relations Martin Viecha, for example, also noted on Twitter that he had taken Pierre Farragu of New Street Research around Giga Berlin.

In a tweet, Viecha lightly noted that Ferragu had driven a Tesla Germany-made Model Y Performance in Giga Berlin, which the analyst later observed was “built like a German premium car.” This is quite a lot of praise for Tesla, as its vehicles have been scrutinized over the years for every single imperfection, from paint quality to panel alignment.

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Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla stock surges on Wednesday, but there’s still more room to go

Published

5 days ago

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March 12, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) surged over 7 percent on Wednesday, canceling out some of the losses it has felt this week.

It has been a less-than-ideal start for Tesla in 2025, as the company has wiped out all of its gains felt from the victorious election campaign of President Donald Trump. The stock is down 34 percent so far this year.

The losses have mostly been felt due to reports of decreased demand due to pushback against CEO Elon Musk and his support of President Trump, as well as investor concern over the CEO’s personal use of time between the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Tesla itself.

In a note this week from Wedbush, analyst Dan Ives wrote:

“Musk needs to step up as Tesla CEO at this critical juncture. In a nutshell, the word ‘balance’ has been missing with Elon Musk and his ability to run Tesla as CEO….while instead focusing all of his energy and time driving his DOGE initiative within the Trump Administration. Since Trump’s White House 2nd term kicked off in January, we have seen Musk and Trump connected at the hip with Musk essentially living at the White House and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. There has been little to no sign of Musk at any Tesla factory or manufacturing facility the last two months and perception has become reality for Tesla shares. Trump getting elected President was a huge moment for Musk and Tesla in our view as this will create the fast track for an autonomous federal roadmap…however the DOGE efforts have now intertwined Tesla into this brewing political firestorm.”

Wednesday’s slight bump for Tesla shares is likely related to the support the company received from President Trump yesterday, who purchased a Model S sedan at the White House and pledged to pay for it with a check.

President Donald Trump buys a Tesla at the White House – Here’s which model he chose

The move was one that signaled a buying spree from high-profile Republicans, including Sean Hannity, among others, who announced their support for Musk and Tesla:

Tesla shares closed at $248.09 on Wednesday, up 7.59%.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla bull ARK loads up on over $20M in TSLA shares after stock slide

Published

6 days ago

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March 11, 2025

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla bull ARK Invest loaded up on over $20 million worth of the automaker’s shares on Monday after the company saw its largest slide on the market since late 2020.

Shares dropped over 15 percent on Monday, mostly due to pushback on the stock as CEO Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His involvement with the U.S. government directly has sent some investors into a predicament over Musk’s dedication to Tesla.

There are also concerns regarding Q1 deliveries, which will be a big indication of where the year could be headed for Tesla.

The Monday slide was the biggest since late 2020 when shares dropped over 21 percent.

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However, the slide presents a massive buying opportunity for investors, especially those who operate ETFs, like ARK. Long term, ARK believes Tesla shares (NASDAQ: TSLA) will be exponentially more expensive, especially leaning on the thesis that Robotaxi and AI/Optimus will translate to major growth in yet another sector for the company.

ARK bolstered its position on $TSLA in its ARKK Innovation ETF with a purchase of 68,164 shares. Tesla is the largest holding in ARKK with over $531 million in value. Tesla makes up exactly 10 percent of the ARKK ETF.

It also bought another 11,154 shares in its ARKQ Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF.

It’s no secret Tesla shares have taken a substantial hit in 2025, especially as the company’s price on Wall Street exploded following President Trump’s successful election campaign last year.

So far in 2025, Tesla shares are down over 38 percent. They are up nearly 5 percent as of 2:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Even bullish analysts are hoping some focus returns to Tesla on Musk’s part.

Dan Ives of Wedbush said in a note last night following the broad sell off:

“This is a gut check moment for the Tesla bulls (including ourselves) after this massive sell-off in Tesla shares with fears mounting/accelerating. The bears own the Tesla narrative in the near-term as lackluster sales numbers from Europe, China, and the US in January/February along with Musk protests/brand worries have created many concerns.”

He continued:

“While the DOGE/Trump Musk iron clad partnership has created major brand worries for Tesla…..we estimate less than 5% of Tesla sales globally are at risk from these issues despite the global draconian narrative for Musk. Importantly, we expect Musk will better balance his time between DOGE and Tesla/SpaceX over the course of 2025 and some of these distraction issues will fade.”

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Investor's Corner

Elon Musk praises Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater for accumulating TSLA stock

Published

1 month ago

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February 14, 2025

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

A recent 13-F filing from legendary investor and billionaire Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates has revealed that the hedge fund has added over $62 million worth of Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) to its portfolio.

Elon Musk has praised the billionaire’s investment in a post on X.

Bridgewater’s TSLA stake:

  • As per Bridgewater’s 13-F filing, it currently holds 153,589 shares of TSLA, which costs $62,025,382.
  • The firm added the TSLA shares in the fourth quarter.
  • Tesla shares gained momentum after its Q3 2024 earnings call, and it only gained more strength after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
  • At the end of 2024, Tesla shares were up 62%, as noted in a MarketWatch report.
  • Tesla stock is still up 88% over 12 months despite a steep drop over the past month.

A vote of confidence: 

  • Bridgewater Associates is one of the largest hedge funds in the world, so the firm’s stake in TSLA could be interpreted as a vote of confidence in the electric vehicle maker.
  • Elon Musk has praised the firm’s investment. In a post on X, Musk noted that Bridgewater’s investment was a “smart move.”
  • Elon Musk has been quite consistent on his idea that Tesla could eventually become the world’s most valuable company. He emphasized this point during the Q4 2024 earnings call.
  • “I see a path. I’m not saying it’s an easy path but I see a path of Tesla being the most valuable company in the world by far. Not even close. There is a path where Tesla is worth more than the next top five companies combined,” Musk said.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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