Investor's Corner
Tesla’s (TSLA) growth gets it two new price targets from Morgan Stanley
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has received a new raised price target of $1,050 with an Underweight rating from Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley. The electric automaker also has received a revised bull case price target of $2,500 from the investment firm.
Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas gave Tesla the increased price target based on a combination of the electric automaker’s growth, its forecast until the year 2030, and the recent release of the Q2 Earnings Call results. Tesla’s Q2 results were announced on Wednesday, July 22.
“It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Tesla is going to become a very large company,” Jonas wrote in a note to investors. “For the first time during our 10 years of coverage, we’re starting to model this company as a very, very large automaker.”
Jonas’ last price target for Tesla was $740, and his previous bull case PT was $2,070.
* TESLA PT RAISED TO $1,050 BY MORGAN STANLEY; BULL CASE RAISED TO $2,500
🤯🤯$TSLA pic.twitter.com/4Fej1bSocq
— David Tayar (@davidtayar5) July 29, 2020
Jonas believes that Tesla could approach and exceed Toyota and Volkswagen’s revenues during the next ten years. Morgan Stanley’s forecasted models that project Tesla’s growth until 2030 indicate that the electric automaker could see around $170 billion of revenues.
If Tesla can make this estimation a reality, it could become “a substantially larger company by revenue than Ford or GM.”
Tesla’s surge in stock price over the past few months has made it the most valuable automaker in the world, surpassing Volkswagen and Toyota. Both companies hold massive valuations based on their worldwide market and popularity.
However, Tesla is beginning to surge into global superstardom as an automaker. The company’s reign as the supreme mass-market automaker started in 2017 when the company unleashed the Tesla Model 3, an affordable sedan with multiple variants that would fit any driver’s range or performance preferences.
Since then, the company has worked to expand its fleet of affordable vehicles, while also offering an array of new styles and body types that will fit the lifestyle or occupation of nearly anyone on Earth.
Jonas stated in his letter to investors that the company’s Q2 results, along with the company’s expanding vehicle fleet, influenced the analyst to restructure Tesla’s revenue model.
“We have restructured our revenue model to include greater model granularity (Cybertruck, Semi, Multipurpose Van, etc.), raising our 2030 volume forecast to 3 million. Our forecasts give Tesla credit for nearly an additional three full factories of production, which we can see as reasonable give the company’s demonstrated strategy of rapid capacity expansion,” he said.
By 2030, Tesla will have at least four production facilities that will be churning out the company’s electric vehicles. The company’s main production facility is located in Fremont, California. However, Tesla’s Giga Shanghai plant is currently manufacturing the Made in China Model 3 and will soon expand to Model Y production.
Additionally, Tesla has two manufacturing plants that are under construction. In Germany, Giga Berlin will be completed in July 2021 and will begin manufacturing the Model Y for the vast European market.
During the Q2 call, CEO Elon Musk indicated that the company had already started construction at its newest U.S.-located production plant, which is located just outside of Austin, Texas.
Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.
H/t: @DavidTayar5 on Twitter
Investor's Corner
Mizuho keeps Tesla (TSLA) “Outperform” rating but lowers price target
As per the Mizuho analyst, upcoming changes to EV incentives in the U.S. and China could affect Tesla’s unit growth more than previously expected.
Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh lowered Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) price target to $475 from $485, citing potential 2026 EV subsidy cuts in the U.S. and China that could pressure deliveries. The firm maintained its Outperform rating for the electric vehicle maker, however.
As per the Mizuho analyst, upcoming changes to EV incentives in the U.S. and China could affect Tesla’s unit growth more than previously expected. The U.S. accounted for roughly 37% of Tesla’s third-quarter 2025 sales, while China represented about 34%, making both markets highly sensitive to policy shifts. Potential 50% cuts to Chinese subsidies and reduced U.S. incentives affected the firm’s outlook.
With those pressures factored in, the firm now expects Tesla to deliver 1.75 million vehicles in 2026 and 2 million in 2027, slightly below consensus estimates of 1.82 million and 2.15 million, respectively. The analyst was cautiously optimistic, as near-term pressure from subsidies is there, but the company’s long-term tech roadmap remains very compelling.
Despite the revised target, Mizuho remained optimistic on Tesla’s long-term technology roadmap. The firm highlighted three major growth drivers into 2027: the broader adoption of Full Self-Driving V14, the expansion of Tesla’s Robotaxi service, and the commercialization of Optimus, the company’s humanoid robot.
“We are lowering TSLA Ests/PT to $475 with Potential BEV headwinds in 2026E. We believe into 2026E, US (~37% of TSLA 3Q25 sales) EV subsidy cuts and China (34% of TSLA 3Q25 sales) potential 50% EV subsidy cuts could be a headwind to EV deliveries.
“We are now estimating TSLA deliveries for 2026/27E at 1.75M/2.00M (slightly below cons. 1.82M/2.15M). We see some LT drivers with FSD v14 adoption for autonomous, robotaxi launches, and humanoid robots into 2027 driving strength,” the analyst noted.
Investor's Corner
Tesla stock lands elusive ‘must own’ status from Wall Street firm
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) has landed an elusive “must own” status from Wall Street firm Melius, according to a new note released early this week.
Analyst Rob Wertheimer said Tesla will lead the charge in world-changing tech, given the company’s focus on self-driving, autonomy, and Robotaxi. In a note to investors, Wertheimer said “the world is about to change, dramatically,” because of the advent of self-driving cars.
He looks at the industry and sees many potential players, but the firm says there will only be one true winner:
“Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is.”
The major argument is that autonomy is nearing a tipping point where years of chipping away at the software and data needed to develop a sound, safe, and effective form of autonomous driving technology turn into an avalanche of progress.
Wertheimer believes autonomy is a $7 trillion sector,” and in the coming years, investors will see “hundreds of billions in value shift to Tesla.”
A lot of the major growth has to do with the all-too-common “butts in seats” strategy, as Wertheimer believes that only a fraction of people in the United States have ridden in a self-driving car. In Tesla’s regard, only “tens of thousands” have tried Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version, which is v14.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 – Full Review, the Good and the Bad
When it reaches a widespread rollout and more people are able to experience Tesla Full Self-Driving v14, he believes “it will shock most people.”
Citing things like Tesla’s massive data pool from its vehicles, as well as its shift to end-to-end neural nets in 2021 and 2022, as well as the upcoming AI5 chip, which will be put into a handful of vehicles next year, but will reach a wider rollout in 2027, Melius believes many investors are not aware of the pace of advancement in self-driving.
Tesla’s lead in its self-driving efforts is expanding, Wertheimer says. The company is making strategic choices on everything from hardware to software, manufacturing, and overall vehicle design. He says Tesla has left legacy automakers struggling to keep pace as they still rely on outdated architectures and fragmented supplier systems.
Tesla shares are up over 6 percent at 10:40 a.m. on the East Coast, trading at around $416.
Investor's Corner
Tesla analyst maintains $500 PT, says FSD drives better than humans now
The team also met with Tesla leaders for more than an hour to discuss autonomy, chip development, and upcoming deployment plans.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) received fresh support from Piper Sandler this week after analysts toured the Fremont Factory and tested the company’s latest Full Self-Driving software. The firm reaffirmed its $500 price target, stating that FSD V14 delivered a notably smooth robotaxi demonstration and may already perform at levels comparable to, if not better than, average human drivers.
The team also met with Tesla leaders for more than an hour to discuss autonomy, chip development, and upcoming deployment plans.
Analysts highlight autonomy progress
During more than 75 minutes of focused discussions, analysts reportedly focused on FSD v14’s updates. Piper Sandler’s team pointed to meaningful strides in perception, object handling, and overall ride smoothness during the robotaxi demo.
The visit also included discussions on updates to Tesla’s in-house chip initiatives, its Optimus program, and the growth of the company’s battery storage business. Analysts noted that Tesla continues refining cost structures and capital expenditure expectations, which are key elements in future margin recovery, as noted in a Yahoo Finance report.
Analyst Alexander Potter noted that “we think FSD is a truly impressive product that is (probably) already better at driving than the average American.” This conclusion was strengthened by what he described as a “flawless robotaxi ride to the hotel.”
Street targets diverge on TSLA
While Piper Sandler stands by its $500 target, it is not the highest estimate on the Street. Wedbush, for one, has a $600 per share price target for TSLA stock.
Other institutions have also weighed in on TSLA stock as of late. HSBC reiterated a Reduce rating with a $131 target, citing a gap between earnings fundamentals and the company’s market value. By contrast, TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating and a $509 target, pointing to strong autonomous driving demonstrations in Austin and the pace of software-driven improvements.
Stifel analysts also lifted their price target for Tesla to $508 per share over the company’s ongoing robotaxi and FSD programs.
