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Deutsche Bank posts bullish TSLA outlook after meeting with Tesla executive

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Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) has received a positive outlook from Deutsche Bank, which recently hosted a meeting with a Tesla executive. The 149-year-old financial firm stated that Tesla could be reaching a turning point towards profitability, particularly as pieces fall into place in regions such as Europe and China, where the electric car maker could make a significant impact. 

Deutsche Bank Senior Autos & Auto Technology Analyst Emmanuel Rosner outlined a number of the optimistic conclusions that the financial firm reached after its meeting with Tesla Head of investor Relations Martin Viecha in London, following the executive’s participation at the IAA Conference in Frankfurt, Germany. 

“Overall, we found Tesla’s message to be bullish about the company’s near-term dynamics, and the potential for the next 12 months to be a turning point for the company’s profitability. In the near term, Tesla described stable Model 3 ASP, strong initial UK demand, and large demand potential from Europe and Korea markets, which could all help boost gross margins. Beyond it, China production seems on track to start before year-end, there should be large ramp up in credits from FCA deal, and Model Y should start production in the fall of 2020, which Tesla expects will yield large additional boost to profitability and cash flow,” the financial firm wrote.

Tesla is currently involved in yet another push to deliver as many vehicles as it can before the end of the third quarter. The company has had a challenging year, with its delivery challenges in Q1 and its loss in Q2 despite hitting record numbers. Elon Musk has not really provided a hint about Tesla’s state this Q3, though reports from regions such as Europe and China suggest that demand remains strong for the company’s vehicles. Tesla’s renewed focus on residential solar could also play into the company’s favor. 

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While Tesla stock remains volatile, the third quarter has actually been uncharacteristically quiet for the electric car maker. This relative absence of drama despite waves of negative news about the company appears to have worked pretty well for TSLA stock, which has seen some stability in recent weeks. As of Monday this week, for example, Tesla stock was up 9% in September 2019. 

According to Nomura Instinet analyst Christopher Eberle, part of this is due to the fact that the company is seemingly settling down and focusing its efforts on delivering solid results. Even Elon Musk, who was prone to engaging critics on Twitter last year during TSLA stock’s most volatile days, has been relatively silent, largely limiting his posts to comments about Tesla updates, the progress of SpaceX’s projects, and his trademark memes. 

“This is exactly the kind of low-controversy execution that we and many investors have hoped to see from Tesla for some time. If the company can continue to hit both operational and financial targets, we see an opportunity to get more positive on Tesla shares in the future. North American demand appears solid and particularly robust on a market share basis. We continue to believe that consumer demand is a low-level concern,” he said. 

As of writing, Tesla stock is trading +0.32% at $243.59.

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

H/T Trader 53.

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

Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’

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Credit: Lucid

Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.

The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.

The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”

Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”

Napoli said:

“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.

As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.

We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.

My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.

I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”

It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.

Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.

Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.

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Investor's Corner

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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Credit: Lucid

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.

Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”

Twork said:

Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.

Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.

Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla gets price target upgrade on heels of crazy successful auto quarter

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla received a price target upgrade just on the heels of what was a crazy successful quarter for its automotive business, as the company reported a delivery beat of over 15 percent for Q2.

Jefferies analysts are upping Tesla’s price target (NASDAQ: TSLA) to $400 from $375, while maintaining their “Hold” rating on shares, and the strong automotive deliveries from Q2 is a big reason. However, there are some other catalysts that Jefferies believes position Tesla for a strong position in the second half of the year.

Strong Deliveries

Tesla reported 480,000 deliveries for Q2, while Wall Street was between 395,000 and 405,000, as an overall consensus. It was an incredibly strong quarter from a delivery perspective, and Tesla sold well more than it produced during the three months.

Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent

While vehicle deliveries are not necessarily looked at in the light that they used to be, Tesla still maintains a lot of advantages for keeping deliveries strong. With the loss of the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year, Tesla still maintains a strong demand case for its EVs.

Robotaxi Performance

Tesla has been operating Robotaxi for over a year now, as it launched in Austin in mid-2025. That program has expanded to Houston and Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and, most recently, Miami, Florida, the suite’s first appearance in the Sunshine State.

While the Robotaxi suite is still in its early phases and Tesla is working through things like fleet size and wait times, the company has been able to undercut the pricing of its competitors and has a great safety record.

Merger Speculation with Tesla and SpaceX

This is perhaps the biggest topic that many are speaking about with Tesla and SpaceX, and it is the one thing that seems to be on the mind of every investor.

Jefferies warns that growing talk of a Tesla-SpaceX merger could cause Tesla stock to trade more like a SpaceX proxy, which may disconnect it from underlying automotive fundamentals. SpaceX has a lot going for it, especially its compute deals that have been widely publicized as of late.

Profitability in New Projects Could Take Some Time

Tesla has a few long-term ventures in the pipeline, most notably the Optimus project and Robotaxi, which is launched but will take several years to expand to a meaningful level that resonates with everyday people.

This is something that investors need to be careful of. Tesla’s projects could take some time to round out, so Jefferies advises that these may carry initial losses, rather than immediate profit. Seasoned Tesla investors have echoed something like this for a long time; they knew going in it would not be an open-and-shut strategy. It was going to take time.

These new projects are no different.

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