Investor's Corner
Tesla shares (TSLA) recover despite China’s new import tariffs
After showing recovery on Tuesday, Tesla shares (NASDAQ:TSLA) tumbled during pre-market trading on Wednesday amid China’s imposition of new tariffs over US-made products, including electric vehicles like Tesla. Before the opening bell on Tuesday, $TSLA shares were trading down 5.38% at $253.13. The company’s stocks began rebounding later during the day, however, bouncing back from its pre-market dive, up 1.55% and trading at $271.82 per share as of writing.
China’s announcement of its tariffs on US goods comes on the heels of the Trump’s administration’s plans to impose duties on $50 billion worth of Chinese products, including industrial, transport, and medical materials. According to a Reuters report, China Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang claimed that China had been open to resolving the trade dispute through negotiations, but the US had not been responsive so far.
“The best opportunities for resolving the issues through dialogue and negotiations have been repeatedly missed by the U.S. side,” Shuang said.
It only took China 11 hours to respond to Washington’s tariffs in kind, releasing a list of duties on key American imports. Among these are US-made products such as Tesla’s electric cars, Ford’s vehicles from its Lincoln brand, General Dynamics Corp’s Gulfstream jets, and Brown-Forman Corp’s Jack Daniels’ whiskey.
While the two countries’ tariffs on crucial imports appear alarming, Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, said that it would not be surprising if negotiations between America and China would happen soon. According to the economist, it is worth noting that only announcements of the tariffs have been made so far. Neither country has called for enforcement of the duties yet.
“The assumption was China would not respond too aggressively and avoid escalating tensions. China’s response is a surprise for some people. It’s more of a game of brinkmanship, making it clear what the cost would be, in the hopes that both sides can come to agreement and none of these tariffs will come into force,” Evans-Pritchard said.
China’s tariffs, if ever they do get enforced, would likely affect Tesla’s operations in the country. Tesla, after all, is currently in intense competition with local electric car makers in China. As we noted in a previous report, Elon Musk brought up the issue of import taxes that American cars face on the country. Tesla is also engaged in negotiation with officials from Shanghai for the construction of a facility speculated to be the Model Y’s future factory.
J.P. Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman reiterated his Underweight rating on Tesla’s stocks, citing the ongoing production difficulties that the company is facing with the Model 3. Brinkman also lowered his estimates and stock price target to $185 from $190. RBC Capital analyst Joseph Spak kept his Neutral rating on $TSLA, though he dropped his stock price target from $380 to $305, according to a MarketWatch report.
While Tesla’s shares took a dive during pre-market trading, IHS Markit Managing Director for Asia Pacific James Chao noted in a statement to Bloomberg that Tesla’s woes are relatively minor. Chao further stated the current challenges that Tesla’s shares are facing are manageable, especially since Elon Musk seems to work best when he is driven into a corner.
“(Elon Musk) is really at the edge here. I think this is the environment that works best in, under a lot of pressure. With the tweet on April Fools, you can see that he thrives in the moment. I think that you can see that he is performing, to a certain extent, 2,020 vehicles in the last week of April, was far beyond what analysts, in general, were looking for.
“The overall story just for Tesla is still intact, which is, while large automakers produce vehicles in every single segment of the market, including segments of the market where they can’t make money; Tesla focuses on one segment — this electric vehicle market — which is highly valued. And I think that story still continues despite short-term cycles.”
As we noted in a previous report, Tesla’s first quarter production and delivery report listed a 40% increase in production from Q4 2017. Tesla was also able to manufacture 2,020 Model 3 during the last week of March. Delivery figures were also strong, with the company delivering 29,980 vehicles in total during the first three months of the year. Among this number, 8.180 were Model 3.
Investor's Corner
Tesla wins $508 price target from Stifel as Robotaxi rollout gains speed
The firm cited meaningful progress in Tesla’s robotaxi roadmap, ongoing Full Self-Driving enhancements, and the company’s long-term growth initiatives.
Tesla received another round of bullish analyst updates this week, led by Stifel, raising its price target to $508 from $483 while reaffirming a “Buy” rating. The firm cited meaningful progress in Tesla’s robotaxi roadmap, ongoing Full Self-Driving enhancements, and the company’s long-term growth initiatives.
Robotaxi rollout, FSD updates, and new affordable cars
Stifel expects Tesla’s robotaxi fleet to expand into 8–10 major metropolitan areas by the end of 2025, including Austin, where early deployments without safety drivers are targeted before year-end. Additional markets under evaluation include Nevada, Florida, and Arizona, as noted in an Investing.com report. The firm also highlighted strong early performance for FSD Version 14, with upcoming releases adding new “reasoning capabilities” designed to improve complex decision-making using full 360-degree vision.
Tesla has also taken steps to offset the loss of U.S. EV tax credits by launching the Model Y Standard and Model 3 Standard at $39,990 and $36,990, Stifel noted. Both vehicles deliver more than 300 miles of range and are positioned to sustain demand despite shifting incentives. Stifel raised its EBITDA forecasts to $14.9 billion for 2025 and $19.5 billion for 2026, assigning partial valuation weightings to Tesla’s FSD, robotaxi, and Optimus initiatives.
TD Cowen also places an optimistic price target
TD Cowen reiterated its Buy rating with a $509 price target after a research tour of Giga Texas, citing production scale and operational execution as key strengths. The firm posted its optimistic price target following a recent Mobility Bus tour in Austin. The tour included a visit to Giga Texas, which offered fresh insights into the company’s operations and prospects.
Additional analyst movements include Truist Securities maintaining its Hold rating following shareholder approval of Elon Musk’s compensation plan, viewing the vote as reducing leadership uncertainty.
@teslarati Tesla Full Self-Driving yields for pedestrians while human drivers do not…the future is here! #tesla #teslafsd #fullselfdriving ♬ 2 Little 2 Late – Levi & Mario
Investor's Corner
Tesla receives major institutional boost with Nomura’s rising stake
The move makes Tesla Nomura’s 10th-largest holding at about 1% of its entire portfolio.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has gained fresh institutional support, with Nomura Asset Management expanding its position in the automaker.
Nomura boosted its Tesla holdings by 4.2%, adding 47,674 shares and bringing its total position to more than 1.17 million shares valued at roughly $373.6 million. The move makes Tesla Nomura’s 10th-largest holding at about 1% of its entire portfolio.
Institutional investors and TSLA
Nomura’s filing was released alongside several other fund updates. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings by 11.8%, as noted in a MarketBeat report, and Revolve Wealth Partners lifted its TSLA position by 21.2%. Bison Wealth increased its Tesla stake by 52.2%, AMG National Trust Bank increased its position in shares of Tesla by 11.8%, and FAS Wealth Partners increased its TSLA holdings by 22.1%. About 66% of all outstanding Tesla shares are now owned by institutional investors.
The buying comes shortly after Tesla reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $0.50 per share compared with the $0.48 consensus. Revenue reached $28.10 billion, topping Wall Street’s $24.98 billion estimate. Despite the earnings beat, Tesla continues to trade at a steep premium relative to peers, with a market cap hovering around $1.34 trillion and a price-to-earnings ratio near 270.
Recent insider sales
Some Tesla insiders have sold stock as of late. CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares in early September for just over $918,000, reducing his personal stake by about 21%. Director James R. Murdoch executed a far larger sale, offloading 120,000 shares for roughly $42 million and trimming his holdings by nearly 15%. Over the past three months, Tesla insiders have collectively sold 202,606 shares valued at approximately $75.6 million, as per SEC disclosures.
Tesla is currently entering its next phase of growth, and if it is successful, it could very well become the world’s most valuable company as a result. The company has several high-profile projects expected to be rolled out in the coming years, including Optimus, the humanoid robot, and the Cybercab, an autonomous two-seater with the potential to change the face of roads across the globe.
@teslarati Tesla Full Self-Driving yields for pedestrians while human drivers do not…the future is here! #tesla #teslafsd #fullselfdriving ♬ 2 Little 2 Late – Levi & Mario
Investor's Corner
Ron Baron states Tesla and SpaceX are lifetime investments
Baron, one of Tesla’s longest-standing bulls, reiterated that his personal stake in the company remains fully intact even as volatility pressures the broader market.
Billionaire investor Ron Baron says he isn’t touching a single share of his personal Tesla holdings despite the recent selloff in the tech sector. Baron, one of Tesla’s longest-standing bulls, reiterated that his personal stake in the company remains fully intact even as volatility pressures the broader market.
Baron doubles down on Tesla
Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Baron stated that he is largely unfazed by the market downturn, describing his approach during the selloff as simply “looking” for opportunities. He emphasized that Tesla remains the centerpiece of his long-term strategy, recalling that although Baron Funds once sold 30% of its Tesla position due to client pressure, he personally refused to trim any of his personal holdings.
“We sold 30% for clients. I did not sell personally a single share,” he said. Baron’s exposure highlighted this stance, stating that roughly 40% of his personal net worth is invested in Tesla alone. The legendary investor stated that he has already made about $8 billion from Tesla from an investment of $400 million when he started, and believes that figure could rise fivefold over the next decade as the company scales its technology, manufacturing, and autonomy roadmap.
A lifelong investment
Baron’s commitment extends beyond Tesla. He stated that he also holds about 25% of his personal wealth in SpaceX and another 35% in Baron mutual funds, creating a highly concentrated portfolio built around Elon Musk–led companies. During the interview, Baron revisited a decades-old promise he made to his fund’s board when he sought approval to invest in publicly traded companies.
“I told the board, ‘If you let me invest a certain amount of money, then I will promise that I won’t sell any of my stock. I will be the last person out of the stock,’” he said. “I will not sell a single share of my shares until my clients sold 100% of their shares. … And I don’t expect to sell in my lifetime Tesla or SpaceX.”
Watch Ron Baron’s CNBC interview below.
@teslarati :rotating_light: This is why you need to use off-peak rates at Tesla Superchargers! #tesla #evcharging #fyp ♬ Blue Moon – Muspace Lofi
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