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Tesla critic abandons bet against TSLA, with no plans to revive it

Credit: @TacosandTeslas/Twitter

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Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has a lot of critics, and some of them tend to be aggressive at times. One of these is Carson Block, which The New York Times describes as a “volatile and sometimes venomous short-seller” who runs Muddy Waters Capital. Block had taken a position against Tesla in the past, but in a shareholder letter, the short-seller admitted that his bets against the Elon Musk-led EV company had been abandoned. 

Block’s letter to shareholders is pretty rare on its own, being the first of its kind since he started a hedge fund in 2015. Block’s letter reportedly stated that Elon Musk’s “narcissism” was a cause for his disdain, and it encouraged his beliefs that Tesla’s business would crater. He admitted, however, that he underestimated the Tesla CEO’s ability to raise capital and captivate shareholders. 

As a result, Block noted that Muddy Waters’ bet against Tesla had been sent to “heaven,” and there are currently no plans to revive it. “The market cap, the luster, the élan of Elon, is still there,” Block wrote. 

“Tesla shorts have focused on Tesla’s lack of scale to compete in EVs with GM, Ford, VW, etc. They are correct in that lack of scale would have been the death of Tesla. But they were looking at the wrong scale. Tesla is here not because it has scale in terms of manufacturing base or unit sales. It has scale because of its capital base,” he added. 

In a way, Block’s argument about Tesla’s scale still seems a bit short-sighted, especially if one were to look at the growing electric vehicle market today. The Tesla critic cites the scale of companies like GM and Ford, but much of these companies’ output and size is related to their internal combustion vehicle production. In the EV sphere, which is growing as the market for ICE cars declines, Tesla’s scale is no joke. In terms of key resources for EV production like batteries alone, it is Tesla that has the scale, not legacy automakers. 

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Nevertheless, Block has admitted that Tesla should be able to raise many billions before its cap becomes sub-scale. “One could look at Tesla’s market cap and think it’s fragile — that reality will shatter it. However, Tesla should be able to raise many billions before its cap becomes sub-scale — and keep in mind that Tesla equity raises tend to push the stock higher. (Those “dumb money” investors actually knew that capital base scale is what mattered all along.)” Block wrote.

Disclaimer: I am long TSLA. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to tips@teslarati.com to give us a heads up. 

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 (TSLA) Q2 2025 earnings results

Tesla posted total revenues of $22.496 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $0.40 per share.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has released its Q2 2025 earnings results in an update letter. The document was posted on the electric vehicle maker’s official Investor Relations website after markets closed today, July 23, 2025. 

Tesla’s Q2 earnings come on the heels of a quarter where the company produced over 410,000 vehicles, delivered over 384,000 vehicles, and deployed 9.6 GWh of energy storage products. The second quarter also saw the launch of the Roboaxi service’s pilot program in Austin, a notable step forward for the company’s self-driving program.

Tesla’s Q2 2025 earnings in a nutshell


As could be seen in Tesla’s Q2 2025 update letter, the company posted GAAP EPS of $0.33 and non-GAAP EPS of $0.40 per share. Tesla also posted total revenues of $22.496 billion.

In comparison, Wall Street expected Tesla to post earnings per share of $0.39, down 25% from a year ago. Tesla’s revenue is forecasted to fall 13% to $22.19 billion, and analysts also expect the electric vehicle maker to post lower margins this quarter.

Tesla’s other Q2 metrics

For the second quarter, Tesla’s total revenue decreased 12% YoY to $22.5B. Operating income also decreased 42% YoY to $0.9B, resulting in a 4.1% operating margin. Tesla still has a strong war chest, as the company’s quarter-end cash, cash equivalents and investments was $36.8B.

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Product Plans

Tesla noted in its Q2 2025 update letter that the company remains focused on “prudently growing our vehicle volumes in a capex efficient manner by using our existing vehicle production capacity before building new lines.” Still, Tesla noted that plans for new vehicles that will launch in 2025 remain on track, including initial production of a more affordable model in 1H25.

Tesla also reiterated that the Cybercab will be produced using the company’s upcoming “Unboxed” manufacturing process. Volume production of the Cybercab is expected to start sometime in 2026.

Below is Tesla’s Q2 2025 update letter:

TSLA-Q2-2025-Update by Simon Alvarez on Scribd

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Tesla Q2 2025 earnings: What Wall Street expects

The company has faced mounting pressure this year, with TSLA stock down 19% year-to-date.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is set to release its second-quarter 2025 financial results after markets close on Wednesday, July 23. The company has faced mounting pressure this year, with TSLA stock down about 19% year-to-date. 

What Wall Street expects

As noted in a TipRanks report, Wall Street has remained cautious about the electric vehicle maker due to concerns about the EV segment in general, competition, reduced margins, federal EV regulations, and CEO Elon Musk’s political activities. 

Overall, Wall Street expects Tesla to post earnings per share of $0.39, down 25% from a year ago. Tesla’s revenue is forecasted to fall 13% to $22.19 billion, and analysts also expect the electric vehicle maker to post lower margins this quarter.

Analyst expectations

Tesla delivered approximately 384,120 vehicles in Q2, a 13.5% drop year-over-year, as per Main Street Data. The company also produced over 410,000 vehicles and deployed 9.6 GWh of energy storage products during the quarter. 

Ahead of the earnings call, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard reiterated a Buy rating and a $335 per share price target. He also adjusted his Q2 revenue forecast to $21 billion, down from his previous estimate of $24.1 billion. Despite short-term softness, Sheppard maintained his 2025 and 2026 projections, citing confidence in Tesla’s high-margin Robotaxi business model.

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Barclays analyst Dan Levy kept a Hold rating with a $275 price target. He stated that the company faces “increasingly weaker fundamentals,” but he also suggested that Tesla’s Robotaxi story could drive optimism. Levy expects modest gross margin improvement quarter-over-quarter and flagged the full-year EPS estimate drop from $3.20 to $1.84. Delays in launching the affordable Tesla model remain a downside risk, Levy noted.

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Tesla needs to confront these concerns as its ‘wartime CEO’ returns: Wedbush

Tesla will report earnings for Q2 tomorrow. Here’s what Wedbush expects.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is set to report its earnings for the second quarter of 2025 tomorrow, and although Wall Street firm Wedbush is bullish as the company appears to have its “wartime CEO” back, it is looking for answers to a few concerns investors could have moving forward.

The firm’s lead analyst on Tesla, Dan Ives, has kept a bullish sentiment regarding the stock, even as Musk’s focus seemed to be more on politics and less on the company.

However, Musk has recently returned to his past attitude, which is being completely devoted and dedicated to his companies. He even said he would be sleeping in his office and working seven days a week:


Nevertheless, Ives has continued to push suggestions forward about what Tesla should do, what its potential valuation could be in the coming years with autonomy, and how it will deal with the loss of the EV tax credit.

Tesla preps to expand Robotaxi geofence once again, answering Waymo

These questions are at the forefront of what Ives suggests Tesla should confront on tomorrow’s call, he wrote in a note to investors that was released on Tuesday morning:

“Clearly, losing the EV tax credits with the recent Beltway Bill will be a headwind to Tesla and competitors in the EV landscape looking ahead, and this cash cow will become less of the story (and FCF) in 2026. We would expect some directional guidance on this topic during the conference call. Importantly, we anticipate deliveries globally to rebound in 2H led by some improvement on the key China front with the Model Y refresh a catalyst.”

Ives and Wedbush believe the autonomy could be worth $1 trillion for Tesla, especially as it continues to expand throughout Austin and eventually to other territories.

In the near term, Ives expects Tesla to continue its path of returning to growth:

“While the company has seen significant weakness in China in previous quarters given the rising competitive landscape across EVs, Tesla saw a rebound in June with sales increasing for the first time in eight months reflecting higher demand for its updated Model Y as deliveries in the region are starting to slowly turn a corner with China representing the heart and lungs of the TSLA growth story. Despite seeing more low-cost models enter the market from Chinese OEMs like BYD, Nio, Xpeng, and others, the company’s recent updates to the Model Y spurred increased demand while the accelerated production ramp-up in Shanghai for this refresh cycle reflected TSLA’s ability to meet rising demand in the marquee region. If Musk continues to lead and remain in the driver’s seat at this pace, we believe Tesla is on a path to an accelerated growth path over the coming years with deliveries expected to ramp in the back-half of 2025 following the Model Y refresh cycle.”

Tesla will report earnings tomorrow at market close. Wedbush maintained its ‘Outperform’ rating and held its $500 price target.

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