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.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just filed for the IPO everyone was waiting for
SpaceX filed its public S-1, revealing $18.7 billion in revenue and billions in losses.
SpaceX publicly filed its S-1 registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2026, making its financial details available to the public for the first time ahead of what could be the largest IPO in history.
An S-1 is the formal document a company must submit to the SEC before going public. It includes audited financials, risk factors, business descriptions, and how the company plans to use the money it raises. Companies are required to file one before selling shares to the public, and it must be published at least 15 days before the investor roadshow begins. SpaceX had already submitted a confidential draft to the SEC in April, which allowed regulators to review the filing privately before it went public.
The S-1 reveals that SpaceX generated $18.7 billion in consolidated revenue in 2025, driven largely by its Starlink satellite internet division, which posted $11.4 billion in revenue, growing nearly 50% year over year. Despite that growth, the company lost about $4.9 billion in 2025 and has burned through more than $37 billion since its founding.
SpaceX just forced Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to team up for the first time in history
A significant portion of those losses trace back to xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, which was recently merged into SpaceX. SpaceX directed roughly 60% of its capital spending in 2025 to its AI division, totaling around $20 billion, yet that division lost billions and grew revenue by only about 22%.
SpaceX plans to list its Class A common stock on Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX, with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America leading the offering. The dual-class share structure means going public will not meaningfully reduce Musk’s control, as Class B shares he holds carry 10 votes per share compared to one vote for public Class A shares.
The company is targeting a raise of around $75 billion at a valuation of roughly $1.75 trillion, which would make it the largest IPO ever. The investor roadshow is reportedly planned for June 5.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just forced Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to team up for the first time in history
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon just joined forces for one reason: Starlink is winning.
America’s three largest wireless carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, announced on On May 14, 2026 that they had agreed in principle to form a joint venture aimed at pooling their spectrum resources to expand satellite-based direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity across the United States in what can be seen as a direct response to SpaceX’s Starlink initiative. D2D, in plain terms, is technology that lets a standard smartphone connect directly to a satellite in orbit, the same way it connects to a cell tower, with no extra hardware required.
The alliance is widely seen as a means to slow Starlink’s rapid expansion in the satellite internet and mobile markets. SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile service launched commercially in July 2025 through a partnership with T-Mobile, starting with messaging before expanding to broadband data. SpaceX secured access to valuable wireless spectrum through its $17 billion deal with EchoStar, paving the way for significantly faster satellite-to-phone speeds.
SpaceX was not shy about its reaction. SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell responded on X: “Weeeelllll, I guess Starlink Mobile is doing something right! It’s David and Goliath (X3) all over again — I’m bettin’ on David.” SpaceX’s VP of Satellite Policy David Goldman went further, flagging potential antitrust concerns and asking whether the DOJ would even allow three dominant competitors to coordinate in a market where a new rival is actively entering.
Weeeelllll, I guess @Starlink Mobile is doing something right! It’s David and Goliath (X3) all over again — I’m bettin’ on David 🙂 https://t.co/5GzS752mxL
— Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) May 14, 2026
Financial analysts at LightShed Partners were blunt, saying the announcement showed the three carriers are “nervous,” and pointed to the timing: “You announce an agreement in principle when the point is the announcement, not the deal. The timing, weeks ahead of the SpaceX roadshow, was the point.”
As Teslarati reported, SpaceX’s next generation Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current system, with custom silicon and phased array antennas enabling around 20 times the throughput of the first generation. The carriers’ JV, which has no definitive agreement, no financial structure, and no deployment timeline yet, will need to move quickly to matter.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is targeting a Nasdaq listing as early as June 12, aiming for what would be the largest IPO in history. With Starlink now serving over 9 million subscribers across 155 countries, holding 59 carrier partnerships globally, and now powering Air Force One, the carriers’ joint venture announcement landed at exactly the wrong time to look like anything other than a defensive move.
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