Investor's Corner
Tesla drops 4% and hits 2-year lows, but TSLA bulls remain undeterred
Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) dropped 4% on Friday as the electric car maker continued to feel the aftermath of its Q1 financial report. As Tesla hit 2-year lows, Wall Street continued to be polarized about the company, with bears piling on the skepticism and TSLA bulls remaining firm in their support for the electric car maker.
Seemingly smelling blood in the water, Tesla bears continued their attacks on the company. Gabe Hoffman, founder of Accipiter Capital Management and a Tesla short, called Elon Musk a “lying magician” during a segment of Yahoo Finance‘s The Ticker. Garrett Nelson, CFRA senior research analyst, noted that the company’s guidance looks “unrealistic” and a “problem going forward.” Longtime TSLA bull Dan Ives from Wedbush also wrote a scathing note following Tesla’s Q1 earnings call, describing the first quarter as a “top debacle.”
While the current state of Tesla stock does not inspire much confidence, some of the company’s bulls have remained supportive of the electric car maker. Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois noted that while there is “ongoing stress,” for Tesla, he saw “enough positive surprises from auto gross margin resilience, cash earnings, and gross liquidity to argue the shares have sufficiently re-priced.” Houchois admitted that his current call might be “hard to live with at times,” but he maintained that he sees value in Tesla’s electric vehicle/connectivity technology and implementation.
Arguably taking an unpopular opinion, the Jefferies analyst stated that he remained confident that “there is a path to sustained profitability” for the electric car maker. Houchois ultimately kept his “Buy” rating on TSLA stock, as well as a very optimistic $400 price target.
ARK Invest CIO Cathie Wood, a long-term TSLA bull, discussed Tesla’s first quarter results in a segment of CNN‘s First Move. According to Wood, the electric car maker’s Q1 numbers might be provocative, but they are not really a surprise. “The numbers looked provocative. I will say that from the get-go. But we knew this was going to be a tough quarter. We knew they were retooling. We knew that they were going to pay back the convertible notes. So there’s going to be a cash drain. I don’t think there were too many surprises,” she said.
In a rather interesting twist, Craig Irwin of Roth Capital Partners, has turned less bearish on Tesla following the Q1 earnings call. Irwin is a Tesla critic, recently claiming that the electric car maker will be in trouble because of competition from legacy auto. In a segment on CNBC‘s Squawk Box, Irwin explained why he currently rates Tesla as a hold. “(The Q1 results were) very much as telegraphed. I mean, we’ve known the units for a while. Nothing gets me more constructive here, but frankly, I’m not more bearish. I just think that the probability of an equity offering or some capital access is much, much higher with the cash position down as much as it was,” he said.
With Friday’s 4% drop, TSLA shares have now fallen 29% in 2019. Tesla’s market cap has also declined from $63 billion in mid-December to $40.8 billion. Wall Street analysts currently expect the electric car maker’s revenue to expand 19% in 2019, far less than the 83% growth it exhibited in 2018 and the 68% growth in 2017, according to Refinitiv.
As of writing, Tesla stock is trading 4.77% at $235.81.
Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.
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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