Investor's Corner
Morgan Stanley outlines Tesla’s 8 key drivers for further expansion
Recently, Morgan Stanley (MS) released a note on Tesla’s future capacity expansion. The note discussed key drivers that would push Tesla’s growth further in terms of model/segment and factory footprint. Each driver is discussed below.
Produce in markets where they want to sell & diversify outside China
“Cars don’t ship like iPhones, and there are benefits in high localization,” wrote the Morgan Stanley analysts. The investment bank expects “to see significant diversification going forward.”
Gigafactory Shanghai has proven to be an excellent move for Tesla. Tesla China has significantly contributed to the company’s growth since the Shanghai factory started operations. Giga Berlin and Giga Texas are poised to have the same impact when they are operational.
Make each new factory its ‘best’ factory
The Morgan Stanley note stated that there may be room to improve Tesla’s factories, specifically design, cost, and automation.
Tesla always strives to improve and be more efficient. The company’s constant push to improve can be seen in the slight differences and improvements in each Gigafactory. For example, Tesla Giga Shanghai’s layout and design seem based on the GA4 tent the company built when the company was ramping Model 3 production.
Giga Berlin seems to follow the same design, but Tesla has invested in some impressive machines for production in Europe. For instance, Elon Musk has talked about Giga Berlin’s paint shop for quite some time, describing it as one of the most advanced paint shops in the world.
Then there is Giga Texas, which will be Tesla’s Cybertruck factory. The Cybertruck’s unique stainless steel exoskeleton would probably introduce some tough production challenges that would undoubtedly bring about solutions in ways only Tesla could solve.
Spread bets across national regimes
Morgan Stanley writes that “the industry has learned some recent valuable lessons on overdependence on concentrated/extended supply chains.”
In the last earnings call, Elon Musk shared that Tesla faced some supply chain challenges in the first quarter, which the team handled well. Some rumors suggest that Tesla may be interested in investing in its own factory for chips to avoid similar supply chain challenges in the future. Tesla also stepped forward to help a global shipping company with its vast amounts of shipping data, hinting that Tesla is learning more about supply chain processes.
Tesla’s drivers for technological growth
Morgan Stanley lists two drivers related to Tesla tech that could help the company’s expansion. One tech-related driver states Tesla should set technology standards in major regions by getting there first.
The second driver related to tech states that battery economics drive expansion. “We believe battery vertical integration co-located with final assembly ideally suited to volume of 500k to 1mm units per plant,” noted the Wall Street firm.
Drivers for Tesla’s global market expansion
In its note, Morgan Stanley wrote that Tesla should aggressively reduce prices to prevent/delay encroachment from big tech. The note specifically mentions the Apple Car, calling it the “stalking horse.” Granted, Apple might be able to develop software for vehicles that is much better than software found in the cars of Tesla competitors. However, mass-producing a vehicle would be a challenge for a tech company like Apple with no car production experience.
The Wall Street firm also lists that Tesla partnerships could be a natural outcrop of the company’s global/scaled strategy. “We see scope for Tesla to work with other OEMs (both legacy and startups) in areas such as batteries, full EV skateboards, OS, and other products and services.
Tesla and Elon Musk have always been open to working with other automakers to drive its main goal forward: to expedite the move towards a solar electric economy.
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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
Tesla lands approval for Robotaxi operation in third U.S. state
Tesla ride-hailing Safety Monitor dozes off during Bay Area ride
