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Tesla (TSLA) stock price is the highest it's been in 2019, closing in on 52-week high

(Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) recently crossed the $360 barrier, effectively hitting a year-to-date high. If Tesla maintains this momentum, the electric car maker may find itself within striking distance of its all-time high, especially if its Q4 2019 results are positively received by the market. 

Tesla opened Friday at $361.05 per share, rising as high as $365.21 as of writing. This is the highest that Tesla has been in 2019 so far, with the closest one being November 19, when TSLA stock knocked on $359.99 before closing at $359.52. In a way, this bodes well for Tesla, considering that just a couple of months ago, the electric car maker’s shares were at the $240-$250 level. 

Tesla has not had an easy time in 2019, being bogged down by pessimistic outlooks from Wall Street and missed internal targets. Following a first-quarter and second-quarter loss, TSLA stock dipped so much that it traded as low as $176.99 per share on June 3. Tesla recovered in a relatively slow and steady manner, at least until its blockbuster Q3 2019 earnings, which exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. 

Tesla Model 3 production line in Gigafactory 3, Shanghai, China. (Credit: Tesla)

This fourth quarter, Tesla has yet another opportunity to surprise. CEO Elon Musk has been quite subdued this Q4, refraining (at least for now) from declaring hyper-ambitious targets for the company in terms of its production and delivery numbers. During the second-quarter earnings call, Musk noted that Q3 will likely be a break-even quarter, and Q4 will be profitable. These expectations were broken in the third quarter when instead of breaking even, Tesla posted a profit.

Amidst Elon Musk’s relative silence, Tesla does have some positive momentum carrying it towards the end of the year. Unlike past quarters, Tesla does not seem to be engaging in its now-trademark end-of-quarter delivery push, which involves the company going all hands on deck around the clock in a mad dash to deliver as many vehicles as possible during the final month of a quarter. It appears that deliveries are ongoing en masse this Q4, but the sense of near-desperate urgency present in past quarters does not seem to be there. 

Apart from these, signs are abounding that Tesla Model 3 demand remains healthy. As noted by observations from the Tesla community, the all-electric sedan seemed to be sold out for 2019, with only a few areas assuring customers of delivery before the end of the year. In several territories in Europe and even in Asia, Model 3 deliveries for new orders are now estimated for Q1 2020. 

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Tesla has also been progressing well in its efforts to expand its reach to other countries. Gigafactory 3 Phase 1 has been fully completed, and mass production of the company’s Made-in-China Model 3 has begun. Tesla has also received a license to sell the all-electric sedan locally. Furthermore, the Made-in-China Model 3 has been granted government incentives, which will likely make the vehicle more attractive to mainstream buyers. Just recently, truckloads of Tesla Model 3 have been spotted being transported from Gigafactory 3, giving the impression that initial deliveries may just be around the corner. 

Of course, Tesla does need to meet its ambitious targets to fully meet its own guidance. The electric car maker has estimated that it would deliver about 360,000 to 400,000 vehicles in 2019. Following Q3’s results, Tesla will need to deliver about 105,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter to meet this goal. If it does, then it would not be surprising if Tesla stock ends up being in striking distance of its all-time-high of $383.45 per share, which was achieved on June 19, 2017. 

Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.

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

Google’s massive stake in SpaceX will shock you

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Credit: SpaceX

In a striking revelation that underscores the lucrative crossover between Big Tech and space exploration, Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, disclosed a massive $94.1 billion equity stake in SpaceX following the rocket company’s blockbuster initial public offering earlier this year.

The disclosure came in Alphabet’s quarterly filing, marking the first time the long-held private investment has been publicly valued at market prices. Google was an early backer, investing alongside Fidelity in 2015 with roughly $500-900 million at a time when SpaceX was valued around $12 billion.

That bet has delivered extraordinary returns, roughly a hundredfold, transforming a strategic play on satellite internet and launch capabilities into one of Alphabet’s largest assets.

Of the total holding, approximately $80 billion remains subject to short-term post-IPO lockup restrictions, preventing near-term sales. An additional $14.1 billion faces longer-term restrictions, extending into the third quarter of 2027. This structure limits immediate liquidity but protects against market volatility as SpaceX transitions into public trading.

The SpaceX position contributed significantly to gains in Alphabet’s broader investment portfolio, which also includes a major stake in AI leader Anthropic. Combined, these holdings helped drive nearly $100 billion in investment gains during the second quarter, providing a substantial boost to net income amid ongoing AI spending pressures.

Elon Musk sends first warning to SpaceX short sellers

Analysts view the disclosure as validation of Alphabet’s venture strategy beyond its core search and cloud businesses. The investment aligns with deeper ties, including reported multi-billion-dollar deals for AI computing capacity on SpaceX infrastructure. As SpaceX advances Starship flights, Starlink expansion, and ambitious Mars goals under Elon Musk, Google’s stake positions it to benefit from the commercialization of space.

For Alphabet, the windfall highlights how patient, forward-looking bets in transformative sectors can yield outsized rewards. While lockups temper short-term impact, the holding cements SpaceX as a cornerstone of Alphabet’s diversified portfolio in an era where aerospace, AI, and connectivity increasingly intersect. Investors will watch closely as restrictions lift and SpaceX’s public performance unfolds.

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Tesla Semi finally has an FSD timeline and it’s waiting on the Cybercab

Elon Musk told investors Semi self-driving should start working by early 2027, per today’s earnings.

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During Wednesday’s’ Tesla Q2 earnings call, an analyst asked Elon Musk when Tesla would look at autonomy for the Semi. His answer set a real timeline for the first time, noting that self-driving on the Tesla Semi is expected to start working “around the end of this year or early next year”.

Musk framed the delay as a matter of priority, not capability. Tesla’s self-driving team is currently focused on Model 3, Model Y, and Cybercab, the vehicles that make up the overwhelming majority of Tesla’s fleet. Since Semi trucks on the road remain a small fraction of that total even after the recent Nevada factory ramp, Musk said it made more sense to keep the software team’s attention on what he called “the march of nines of safety” for the higher volume vehicles first. Autonomous Semi development is “taking a bit of a backseat for the next six months or so,” he said, before adding that it “will definitely be working next year and in time for the scale-up to high production of the Tesla Semi.”

Tesla Semi’s official battery capacity leaked by California regulators

The timeline lines up with what’s already been showing up on public roads. In June, a Tesla Semi was spotted in Sunnyvale wearing a full validation rig, the same rooftop sensor array Tesla mounts on vehicles ahead of an FSD milestone.

A second unit was seen near Fremont days later with a matching camera suite and lens washers. Separately, Tesla analyst Nic Cruz Patane posted video this month of the production Semi’s exterior camera array, ten AI4 based units built directly into the truck rather than added later.


Musk also gave the reason autonomy on the Semi matters in the first place, a persistent shortage of qualified truck drivers. “There is a really serious shortage of truckers,” he said on the call, framing a self-driving Semi as important both for addressing that shortage and for improving safety and comfort for the drivers running the truck today.

The timing also tracks with the Semi’s production reality. Tesla’s Q2 shareholder letter, dropped language promising the Semi would reach volume production this year. Musk pointed to 4680 battery cell output as the near-term constraint on Semi and Cybercab production. A software timeline landing in early 2027 gives Tesla’s autonomy team room to work while the hardware ramp catches up behind it.

It’s worth nothing that this isn’t necessarily a promise the Semi ships driverless next year. Musk’s own language, self-driving “working” by early 2027, describes internal validation catching up to hardware already riding on every production truck, not a public unsupervised rollout.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what the company reported compared to what Wall Street analysts expected.

The earnings results come after Tesla reported a massive beat on vehicle deliveries for the second quarter, delivering 489,126 vehicles and building 451,758 cars during the three-month span.

This was a major shock for those on Wall Street as they anticipated somewhere around 400,000 deliveries for the quarter, and showed Tesla still has plenty of demand for its vehicles around the world and in the U.S. despite losing the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year.

Tesla Q2 2026 Earnings Results

  • Non-GAAP EPS – $0.33 reported vs. $0.53 expected
  • Revenues – $28.236 billion reported vs. $26.4 billion expected
  • Free Cash Flow- -$1.092B
  • Profit -$ 4.751B

Tesla (beat/missed) analyst expectations, so the market response to the company’s quarter is what we will look for next.

Tesla shares closed today down just over 1 percent, trading at $374.01.

In the past, it has been anyone’s guess with what Tesla shares will do after they report earnings. Strong quarters have resulted in sharp drops, while lackluster quarters have seen the stock shoot up considerably.

Tesla will hold its Q2 2026 Earnings Call in about 90 minutes at 5:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Remarks will be made by CEO Elon Musk and other executives, who will shed some light on the investor questions that we covered earlier this week.

You can stream it below. Additionally, we will be doing our Live Blog on X and Facebook.

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