

Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) stock gets downgraded to “Neutral” by Bank of America
Bank of America analyst John Murphy has downgraded Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) from a “Buy” to a “Neutral” rating.
The analyst, however, also raised his price target for TSLA shares from $400 to $490 per share.
Tesla’s post-election rally and Q4 results:
- As noted in a report from The Street, TSLA shares have seen a notable rise since Donald Trump secured his win in the 2024 U.S. presidential elections.
- While TSLA shares already had momentum then from the company’s Q3 results, Trump’s win helped push a 60% surge in the company’s stock from the November elections to the end of 2024.
- Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2024 vehicle delivery results were weaker than expected, with the company posting an overall annual sales decline.
- On the flip side, Tesla Energy had a blockbuster year by deploying a record 11 GWh of energy storage in Q4 and 31.4 GWh of energy storage in FY 2024.
$TSLA PT Trends On Street In Recent Days.
— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) January 7, 2025
✅ Today) BofA : Raises PT to $400 from $490
(Buy to Neutral)
– Stifel Adjusts : Raises PT to $492 From $411
– Canaccord Genuity : Raises PT to $404 from $298
– Mizuho Securities : Raises PT to $515 from $230
– Dan Ives : Raises PT to… pic.twitter.com/WHgDIWnGuw
Bank of America’s take:
- While Murphy noted that Tesla may see improved investor sentiment, he highlighted that there are some execution risks for the company this year.
- Following are Murphy’s comments:
- “We downgrade TSLA from Buy to Neutral. Since our upgrade in April 2024, news flow and investor sentiment have shifted more positively. Catalysts around future growth drivers have been more fully recognized (most notably for Robotaxi). Our latest valuation analysis drives our PO to $490 PO (was $400). While this still implies upside, execution risk is high and TSLA is trading at a level that captures much of our base case LT potential from core autos, robotaxi, Optimus, and energy generation & storage. We move to Neutral.
- In this report, we also update estimates to reflect our latest analysis of TSLA’s different businesses. There are catalysts ahead, which could support the stock. However, execution risk is high, supporting our Neutral rating. These include: 1) Introduction of a low cost model in 1H:25 and another new model in 2H:25 (key drivers of volume growth); 2) Launch of robotaxi in mid-2025; 3) Megapack production ramp at Shanghai assembly plant starting in 1Q:25; 4) Updates on FSD subscribers; 5) Start of broader production of Optimus, with target of 1,000 units by end of 2025; 6) Risk of new policy being less favorable for TSLA than expected; 7) A capital raise – positive as it would help accelerate growth.”


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Elon Musk
NYC Comptroller moves to sue Tesla for securities violations

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is urging the NYC Law Department to sue Tesla for securities violations related to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Lander said the basis for the potential litigation lies on “material misstatements from Tesla claiming that CEO Elon Musk spends significant time on the company and is highly active in its management, despite his helming the Trump Administration’s DOGE initiative.”
🚨 NEWS: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander wants to sue Tesla by claiming CEO Elon Musk’s role as the head of DOGE is hurting the stock.
Lander said that Musk was “effectively quitting his job at Tesla” by assuming the role with DOGE. pic.twitter.com/p9eMq9mMbr
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 1, 2025
It is a common complaint amongst some Tesla shareholders who are less than enthusiastic about Musk’s involvement in DOGE. Some feel as if Musk is not concerned about Tesla, especially as the stock has dropped over 28 percent this year. However, Musk has continued to double down on his position within the U.S. government.
Nevertheless, Musk’s position in Tesla is still very apparent. He headed an All-Hands meeting just two weeks ago that showed his commitment to the company as he outlined future plans and even joked to employees that they should hold onto their stock.
However, Lander believes Musk’s involvement has hurt New York City pension systems, which have lost over $300 million so far this year. He said:
“In less than three months, Tesla stock has lost nearly 40% of its value, with losses over $300 million for the New York City pension systems. We have long expressed concerns that the Tesla board has failed to provide independent oversight, or to require that Musk – or someone else – serve as a full-time CEO.”
Lander went on to say that “material misstatements from Tesla misled investors about his role at the company,” stating this was his reasoning for calling on the Law Department to file securities litigation against the company.
He believes taking it to court will force changes and will return Tesla shares back to a level that will benefit pension systems in New York City:
“Shareholder litigation could force the changes in governance and leadership that Tesla needs, and help recover some of our pension systems’ losses. Otherwise, we may need to consider divestment.”
The pension systems would be able to pursue financial damages to cover losses and seek governance changes, it says.
Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) shares company-compiled Q1 2025 delivery consensus
Analysts are expecting the electric car maker to post 377,592 deliveries for Q1 2025.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has released its Q1 2025 company-compiled delivery consensus of sell-side analysts. Based on Tesla’s release, it appears that analysts are expecting Tesla to post conservative vehicle delivery results for the first quarter.
Images of Tesla’s Q1 2025 company-compiled consensus were shared recently on social media.
The Consensus
As could be seen in Tesla’s first quarter 2025 company-compiled vehicle delivery consensus, analysts are expecting the electric car maker to post 377,592 deliveries for Q1 2025. Analysts expect this number to be comprised of 351,893 Model 3/Model Y and 21,241 other models.
The company-compiled consensus also suggests that Tesla will see total deliveries of 1,851,001 vehicles this Full Year 2025. From this number, analysts expect 1,693,397 units of the Model 3 and Model Y and 145,162 units of Tesla’s other models.
The sources
Tesla’s company-compiled consensus was based on estimates from 27 firms. These include Daiwa, DB, Wedbush, Cowen, OpCo, Canaccord, Baird, Wolfe, Exane, GS, Evercore ISI, Barclays, PSC, Mizuho, BofA, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Truist, UBS, Jefferies, Guggenheim, JPM, Redburn, Needham & Co, HSBC, Cantor Fitzgerald, and William Blair.
FactSet expectations
As noted in an Investor’s Business Daily report, FactSet estimates suggest that Tesla will see vehicle deliveries of 407,900 units in Q1 2025. Such a number is quite optimistic considering that Tesla’s sales of its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y, were throttled during the quarter due to the company’s transition to the new Model Y.
Beyond Q1 deliveries, Tesla’s first quarter vehicle delivery results could trigger revisions to the company’s full-year delivery and earnings forecasts. FactSet data shows Q1 earnings estimates hitting 48 cents per share, down from 57 cents in late January and 74 cents late last year. For 2025, analysts now see earnings per share climbing 13% to $2.74, a drop from $3.31 before the Q4 earnings release.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk clarifies Trump tariff effect on Tesla: “The cost impact is not trivial”
The U.S. President has stated that Elon Musk stayed silent and provided no input in the administration’s tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to implement a 25% tariff on non-U.S.-made vehicles starting next week would affect American electric car maker Tesla.
This was confirmed by CEO Elon Musk in a recent post on social media platform X.
Musk and Trump
While Elon Musk works closely with the Trump administration due to his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the U.S. president has emphasized that the Tesla CEO never asks for favors. This was highlighted in his recent comments, when he stated that Elon Musk stayed silent and provided no input in the administration’s 25% auto tariffs.
When asked by reporters if the new tariffs would be good for Tesla, Trump noted that they may be “net neutral or they may be good.” The U.S. president also pointed to Tesla’s automotive plants in Fremont, California and Austin, Texas, which produce vehicles that are sold in the country. “Anybody that has plants in the United States — it’s going to be good for them,” Trump noted.
Tesla Affected
In a post on X, Elon Musk clarified that the Trump administration’s tariffs would affect the prices of vehicle parts that are sourced from other countries. This was a concern that Tesla previously outlined in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative, which noted that even with “aggressive localization” of its supply chain, “certain parts and components are difficult or impossible to source within the United States.”
As per Musk in his recent post on X, the cost impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs is no joke. “To be clear, this will affect the price of parts in Tesla cars that come from other countries. The cost impact is not trivial,” Musk wrote in his post.
Potential Effects
Reactions to Musk’s comments from users of the social media platform were varied, with some speculating that the Trump auto tariffs could result in Teslas becoming more expensive in the United States. Despite this, the potential increases in Tesla’s vehicle prices might not be as notable as other cars, particularly those that are produced outside the country.
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