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Tesla (TSLA) Q3 2021 earnings results: EPS beat and monster automotive margins

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) third-quarter for 2021 saw the electric car maker post $13.757 billion in revenue. The results, which were discussed in the Q3 2021 Update Letter, were released after the closing bell on Wednesday, October 20.

Tesla was impressive in the third quarter, with the company producing a total of 237,823 vehicles. This was quite a feat considering the ongoing supply chain challenges that have so far adversely affected numerous carmakers today. The company also delivered a record 241,300 vehicles, comprised of 232,025 Model 3 and Model Y, as well as 9,275 Model S and Model X.

The company’s Q3 2021 results were bolstered in part by Tesla’s growing influence in China. Gigafactory Shanghai has so far become Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub, and it stayed true to this task by exporting both the Model 3 and the Model Y to foreign territories such as Europe and Asia. Deliveries of the high-margin Model S Plaid and Long Range also continued in the third quarter. 

The following are the key points in Tesla’s Q3 2021 Update Letter. In its letter, Tesla noted that Q3 2021 marked a time when the company achieved its best-ever net income, operating profit, and gross profit.

Revenue

Tesla posted $13.757 billion in revenue for Q3 2021. In comparison, FactSet analyst consensus estimated that Tesla would be posting revenue of $13.7 billion for the third quarter. Estimize, on the other hand, forecasted $13.9 billion in revenue for the EV maker. 

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Earnings

Tesla posted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.86 in the third quarter. In comparison, analysts polled by FactSet expected the company to report adjusted earnings of $1.58 per share. Estimize forecasted an EPS of $1.79 per share for Tesla in Q3 2021. 

Cash

Tesla’s operating cash flow less CAPEX stood at $1.3 billion in Q3 2021, while net debt and finance lease repayments reached $1.5 billion. Overall, Tesla saw a $164 million decrease in its cash and cash equivalents in the third quarter to $16.1 billion.

Profitability

Tesla posted $2 billion GAAP operating income and 14.6% operating margin in Q3 2021. The company also posted $1.6 billion of GAAP net income and $2.1 billion non-GAAP net income in the third quarter. Automotive gross margin stood at 30.5% GAAP (28.8% ex-credits) in Q3 2021.

Notable Updates

  • Tesla’s Fremont factory has produced over 430,000 in the last four quarters, and there’s still room for improvement. 
  • Giga Texas is moving as planned. First pre-production Model Y are now being built. 
  • Giga Shanghai is settling in nicely on its role as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub. 
  • Giga Berlin is expected to receive its final permit by the end of the year. The facility is ready to start operations.
  • AI Day was an overwhelming success. Tesla received tons of employee applications for its AI team. 
  • 4680 battery cell production continues to make progress

Tesla’s Q3 2021 Update Letter could be accessed below.

TSLA Q3 2021 Quarterly Update by Simon Alvarez on Scribd

Disclaimer: I am long TSLA

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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

Tesla Full Self-Driving statistic impresses Wall Street firm: ‘Very close to unsupervised’

The data shows there was a significant jump in miles traveled between interventions as Tesla transitioned drivers to v14.1 back in October. The FSD Community Tracker saw a jump from 441 miles to over 9,200 miles, the most significant improvement in four years.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving performance and statistics continue to impress everyone, from retail investors to Wall Street firms. However, one analyst believes Tesla’s driving suite is “very close” to achieving unsupervised self-driving.

On Tuesday, Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potter said that Tesla’s recent launch of Full Self-Driving version 14 increased the number of miles traveled between interventions by a drastic margin, based on data compiled by a Full Self-Driving Community Tracker.

The data shows there was a significant jump in miles traveled between interventions as Tesla transitioned drivers to v14.1 back in October. The FSD Community Tracker saw a jump from 441 miles to over 9,200 miles, the most significant improvement in four years.

Interestingly, there was a slight dip in the miles traveled between interventions with the release of v14.2. Piper Sandler said investor interest in FSD has increased.

Full Self-Driving has displayed several improvements with v14, including the introduction of Arrival Options that allow specific parking situations to be chosen by the driver prior to arriving at the destination. Owners can choose from Street Parking, Parking Garages, Parking Lots, Chargers, and Driveways.

Additionally, the overall improvements in performance from v13 have been evident through smoother operation, fewer mistakes during routine operation, and a more refined decision-making process.

Early versions of v14 exhibited stuttering and brake stabbing, but Tesla did a great job of confronting the issue and eliminating it altogether with the release of v14.2.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also recently stated that the current v14.2 FSD suite is also less restrictive with drivers looking at their phones, which has caused some controversy within the community.

Although we tested it and found there were fewer nudges by the driver monitoring system to push eyes back to the road, we still would not recommend it due to laws and regulations.

Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2.1 texting and driving: we tested it

With that being said, FSD is improving significantly with each larger rollout, and Musk believes the final piece of the puzzle will be unveiled with FSD v14.3, which could come later this year or early in 2026.

Piper Sandler reaffirmed its $500 price target on Tesla shares, as well as its ‘Overweight’ rating.

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Tesla gets price target boost, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East/X

Tesla received a price target boost from Morgan Stanley, according to a new note on Monday morning, but there is some considerable caution also being communicated over the next year or so.

Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco took over Tesla coverage for the firm from longtime bull Adam Jonas, who appears to be focusing on embodied AI stocks and no longer automotive.

Percoco took over and immediately adjusted the price target for Tesla from $410 to $425, and changed its rating on shares from ‘Overweight’ to ‘Equal Weight.’

Percoco said he believes Tesla is the leading company in terms of electric vehicles, manufacturing, renewable energy, and real-world AI, so it deserves a premium valuation. However, he admits the high expectations for the company could provide for a “choppy trading environment” for the next year.

He wrote:

“However, high expectations on the latter have brought the stock closer to fair valuation. While it is well understood that Tesla is more than an auto manufacturer, we expect a choppy trading environment for the TSLA shares over the next 12 months, as we see downside to estimates, while the catalysts for its non-auto businesses appear priced at current levels.”

Percoco also added that if market cap hurdles are achieved, Morgan Stanley would reduce its price target by 7 percent.

Perhaps the biggest change with Percoco taking over the analysis for Jonas is how he will determine the value of each individual project. For example, he believes Optimus is worth about $60 per share of equity value.

He went on to describe the potential value of Full Self-Driving, highlighting its importance to the Tesla valuation:

“Full Self Driving (FSD) is the crown jewel of Tesla’s auto business; we believe that its leading-edge personal autonomous driving offering is a real game changer, and will remain a significant competitive advantage over its EV and non-EV peers. As Tesla continues to improve its platform with increased levels of autonomy (i.e., hands-off, eyes-off), it will revolutionize the personal driving experience. It remains to be seen if others will be able to keep pace.”

Additionally, Percoco outlined both bear and bull cases for the stock. He believes $860 per share, “which could be in play in the next 12 months if Tesla manages through the EV-downturn,” while also scaling Robotaxi, executing on unsupervised FSD, and scaling Optimus, is in play for the bull case.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

Meanwhile, the bear case is placed at $145 per share, and “assumes greater competition and margin pressure across all business lines, embedding zero value for humanoids, slowing the growth curve for Tesla’s robotaxi fleet to reflect regulatory challenges in scaling a vision-only perception stack, and lowering market share and margin profile for the autos and energy businesses.”

Currently, Tesla shares are trading at around $441.

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Tesla bear gets blunt with beliefs over company valuation

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.

“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Shortand was portrayed by Christian Bale.

Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”

Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation

For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.

Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.

While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.

Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.

In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.

Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.

It closed at $430.14 on Monday.

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