Investor's Corner
Oppenheimer raises Tesla (TSLA) price target to $418 amid Q4’s positive Model 3 outlook
Wall Street’s sentiments towards Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) continues to get more positive, with Oppenheimer analyst Colin Rusch reiterating an “Outperform” rating on the company while raising his price target to $418 per share. Oppenheimer’s update comes amidst Tesla’s ongoing rally, which features the stock nearing levels close to its 52-week high of $387.46.
In a recent note to clients, Rusch stated that the drama surrounding Tesla and its CEO over the past few months seems to be all but over. This, according to the Wall Street analyst, places Tesla’s improving fundamentals front and center. Pushed by an even more optimized Model 3 ramp and weak competition from rival carmakers, Rusch notes that the next quarters could prove to be even better for the electric car maker.
“After a drama-filled fall that concluded with a settlement with SEC and a new board chair, we believe TSLA is enjoying improving fundamentals based on increasingly efficient manufacturing, strong ASPs leading to better than expected cash flow, as well as slow and disappointing competition entering the market for EV/ PHEVs,” Rusch said.
The Oppenheimer analyst notes that Tesla seems poised to top Wall Street estimates for 66,000 Model 3 production in the fourth quarter. Rusch also stated that Model 3 gross margins might potentially rise into the low 20% range this Q4.
“We believe as TSLA delivers steady cash flow, a new group of investors will begin taking positions, helping drive shares higher. We are looking to solid Model 3 deliveries and GM plus announcement of China factory financing as catalysts into early 2019,” he said.
Oppenheimer’s Outperform rating and $418 price target on Tesla stock seems to have fostered positive sentiment among the company’s investors. As of writing, Tesla shares are largely maintaining their gains, trading +0.20% at $367.50 per share.
OPPENHEIMER : "After a drama-filled fall .. we believe TSLA is enjoying improving fundamentals based on increasingly efficient manufacturing, strong ASPs leading to better than expected cash flow, as well as slow and disappointing competition .."
Price Target: $418 $TSLA #Tesla pic.twitter.com/i0BOb3Ci24
— vincent (@vincent13031925) December 12, 2018
Tesla has received several votes of confidence from Wall Street recently. This month alone, the company received a price target of $420 per share from CFRA, an independent investment research company, as well as a “Buy” rating and $450 price target from Jefferies Financial Group. Piper Jaffray further noted that if Tesla maintains its momentum, the company could very well find itself within striking distance of a short squeeze. All of these firms have mentioned Tesla’s improving fundamentals as a driver for their optimistic outlook on the electric car maker.
Tesla’s core businesses are expected to see a notable improvement in the coming quarters, with Elon Musk stating that the company would be focusing on the introduction of projects like the Model Y SUV and the Tesla pickup truck, as well as the wide rollout of products like the Solar Roof tiles. The Model 3’s entrance into the international markets is also expected to bode well for the company.
In a way, the current optimism surrounding Tesla’s stock could be summarized by the comments of Pierre Ferragu of New Street Research, who recently took a tour of the Fremont factory. In a note to the firm’s clients, Ferragu described Tesla’s Model 3 ramp as a learning experience for the company — one which bodes well for Tesla’s future endeavors.
“By shooting way too high, Tesla failed on its original plan, but achieved a world-class result. The next production sites will be much more efficient, and will ramp very rapidly,” he said.
Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.
Investor's Corner
Tesla enters new stability phase, firm upgrades and adjusts outlook
Dmitriy Pozdnyakov of Freedom Capital upgraded his outlook on Tesla shares from “Sell” to “Hold” on Wednesday, and increased the price target from $338 to $406.
Tesla is entering a new phase of stability in terms of vehicle deliveries, one firm wrote in a new note during the final week of October, backing its position with an upgrade and price target increase on the stock.
Dmitriy Pozdnyakov of Freedom Capital upgraded his outlook on Tesla shares from “Sell” to “Hold” on Wednesday, and increased the price target from $338 to $406.
While most firms are interested in highlighting Tesla’s future growth, which will be catalyzed mostly by the advent of self-driving vehicles, autonomy, and the company’s all-in mentality on AI and robotics, Pozdnyakov is solely focusing on vehicle deliveries.
The analyst wrote in a note to investors that he believes Tesla’s updated vehicle lineup, which includes its new affordable “Standard” trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, is going to stabilize the company’s delivery volumes and return the company to annual growth.
Tesla launches two new affordable models with ‘Standard’ Model 3, Y offerings
Tesla launched the new affordable Model 3 and Model Y “Standard” trims on October 7, which introduced two stripped-down, less premium versions of the all-electric sedan and crossover.
They are both priced at under $40,000, with the Model 3 at $37,990 and the Model Y at $39,990, and while these prices may not necessarily be what consumers were expecting, they are well under what Kelley Blue Book said was the average new car transaction price for September, which swelled above $50,000.
Despite the rollout of these two new models, it is interesting to hear that a Wall Street firm would think that Tesla is going to return to more stable delivery figures and potentially enter a new growth phase.
Many Wall Street firms have been more focused on AI, Robotics, and Tesla’s self-driving project, which are the more prevalent things that will drive investor growth over the next few years.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives, for example, tends to focus on the company’s prowess in AI and self-driving. However, he did touch on vehicle deliveries in the coming years in a recent note.
Ives said in a note on October 2:
“While EV demand is expected to fall with the EV tax credit expiration, this was a great bounce-back quarter for TSLA to lay the groundwork for deliveries moving forward, but there is still work to do to gain further ground from a delivery perspective.”
Tesla has some things to figure out before it can truly consider guaranteed stability from a delivery standpoint. Initially, the next two quarters will be a crucial way to determine demand without the $7,500 EV tax credit. It will also begin to figure out if its new affordable models are attractive enough at their current price point to win over consumers.
Investor's Corner
Bank of America raises Tesla PT to $471, citing Robotaxi and Optimus potential
The firm also kept a Neutral rating on the electric vehicle maker, citing strong progress in autonomy and robotics.
Bank of America has raised its Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) price target by 38% to $471, up from $341 per share.
The firm also kept a Neutral rating on the electric vehicle maker, citing strong progress in autonomy and robotics.
Robotaxi and Optimus momentum
Bank of America analyst Federico Merendi noted that the firm’s price target increase reflects Tesla’s growing potential in its Robotaxi and Optimus programs, among other factors. BofA’s updated valuation is based on a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) model extending through 2040, which shows the Robotaxi platform accounting for 45% of total value. The model also shows Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus contributing 19%, and Full Self-Driving (FSD) and the Energy segment adding 17% and 6% respectively.
“Overall, we find that TSLA’s core automotive business represents around 12% of the total value while robotaxi is 45%, FSD is 17%, Energy Generation & Storage is around 6% and Optimus is 19%,” the Bank of America analyst noted.
Still a Neutral rating
Despite recognizing long-term potential in AI-driven verticals, Merendi’s team maintained a Neutral rating, suggesting that much of the optimism is already priced into Tesla’s valuation.
“Our PO revision is driven by a lower cost of equity capital, better Robotaxi progress, and a higher valuation for Optimus to account for the potential entrance into international markets,” the analyst stated.
Interestingly enough, Tesla’s core automotive business, which contributes the lion’s share of the company’s operations today, represents just 12% of total value in BofA’s model.
Elon Musk
Tesla analyst: ‘near zero chance’ Elon Musk’s $1T comp package is rejected
“There is a near-zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting.”
A Tesla analyst says there is “zero chance” that CEO Elon Musk’s new compensation package is rejected, a testament to the loyalty and belief many shareholders and investors have in the frontman.
Tesla investors will vote on November 6 at the annual Shareholder Meeting to approve a new compensation package for Musk, revealed by the company’s Board of Directors earlier this month.
The package, if approved, would give Musk the opportunity to earn $1 trillion in stock, an ownership concentration of over 27 percent (a major request of Musk’s), and a solidified future at the company.
The Tesla Community on X, the social media platform Musk bought in 2023, is overwhelmingly in favor of the pay package, though a handful of skeptics remain.
Nevertheless, the big pulls of this vote are held by proxy firms and other large-scale investors. Two of them, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, said they would be voting against Musk’s proposed compensation plan.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package hits first adversity from proxy firm
Today, the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA) said it would vote in favor of Musk’s newly-proposed pay day, making it the first large-scale shareholder to announce it would support the CEO’s pay.
One analyst said that Musk’s payday is inevitable. Gary Black of the Future Fund said today there is a “near-zero chance” that shareholders will allow Musk’s pay package to be rejected:
“There is a near-zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting.”
He added an alternative perspective from Wedbush’s Dan Ives, who said that he had a better chance of starting for the New York Yankees than the comp package not being approved.
There is a near zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting. As Wedbush analyst Dan Ives (@divestech) colorfully put it in a Yahoo Finance interview on October 23rd: “I have a better chance of starting for…
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) October 27, 2025
Black’s the Future Fund sold its Tesla holdings earlier this year. He explained that the firm believed the company’s valuation was too disconnected from fundamentals, citing the P/E ratio of 188x and declining earnings estimates.
The firm maintained its $310 price target, and shares were trading at $356.90 that day.
Shares closed at $452.42 today.
The latest predictions from betting platform Kalshi have shown Musk’s comp package has a 94 percent chance of being approved:
— Kalshi (@Kalshi) October 20, 2025
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