Investor's Corner
Tesla Model 3 deliveries in China are starting earlier than expected
Tesla recently held a Model 3 delivery ceremony in Beijing, officially setting in motion the electric sedan’s foray into China. With the handover event, Tesla accomplished something very rare — it managed to start deliveries of the electric sedan earlier than the estimated timeline posted by its CEO, the characteristically optimistic Elon Musk.
Tesla’s VP of worldwide sales Robin Ren was present in the delivery event, giving a speech and a presentation about the company and its vehicles. In a statement to Reuters, Tesla noted that the earlier-than-expected deliveries “marked a significant milestone for the market,” particularly as the company has been rather conservative about its timeframes for the Model 3’s push into China.
Mr @robinren gave a speech at the Tesla Model 3 Delivery Ceremony in Beijing China 🇨🇳 $TSLA #Tesla #Model3 #China #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/QUQle2lVbg
— vincent (@vincent13031925) February 22, 2019
In January, Tesla noted that Model 3 handovers in China would begin around March. This timeline echoed an estimate posted by Elon Musk on Twitter last November, when he noted that some Model 3 deliveries for China could start in March. The usually bold Musk was even more conservative then, stating that “April is more certain” for China’s Model 3 handovers.
Ultimately, Tesla deserves credit for expediting China’s Model 3’s deliveries, especially considering that Elon Musk and the company have both struggled with meeting ambitious deadlines in the past. This became evident in Tesla’s struggles with the Model 3 ramp — an experience that Elon Musk describes as one of the most difficult points of his career. Musk has since pledged to be better with his estimates to avoid over-promising and under-delivering. The earlier-than-expected Model 3 deliveries in China indicates that little by little, Tesla appears to be learning the art of under-promising and over-delivering.
https://twitter.com/vincent13031925/status/1098808431417290752
Apart from the recently-held delivery ceremony, reports from local Chinese media have indicated that Morning Cindy, a cargo ship loaded with Tesla’s electric cars, has arrived at the port of Shanghai on Friday. The vessel is reportedly loaded with more than 1,800 Teslas, over 1,600 of which are Model 3. The recently docked ship arrived in the country not long after another cargo vessel, the Glovis Symphony, reached the port of Tianjin. Emerald Ace, a solar-hybrid car carrier also loaded with Model 3s, is expected to arrive within the next weeks.
The early start of deliveries in China for the Model 3 bodes well for Tesla, particularly as the electric car appears to be capturing the interest of potential buyers in the country. Just recently, Chinese social media users noted that some Tesla stores ended up having system issues due to the influx of orders they were getting for the Model 3. A Weibo user who booked a test drive for the electric sedan described her observations in one of Tesla’s stores. “During the chat with the Tesla specialist, I observed that his cellphone popped three times with new Model 3 orders in about 20-30 mins. In other words, about 6-10 minutes, there is a Model 3 sold in that location,” 老徐是我呀, the Weibo user, wrote.
While the level of interest for the Model 3 among Chinese car buyers appears to be high, Tesla is still pushing a number of initiatives aimed at making the vehicle an even more attractive purchase. Earlier this month, for example, Tesla made Enhanced Autopilot, which previously cost 46,300 yuan (around $6,800) for buyers, standard for all Model 3 purchases in China.
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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