Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Five Oceans Advisors lessened its position in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA – Free Report) by 43.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,720 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after selling 2,116 shares during the period. Five Oceans Advisors’ holdings in Tesla were worth $965,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Tesla by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,192 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $6,455,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla during the third quarter worth approximately $402,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tesla by 11.2% during the third quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 24,769 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $8,788,000 after purchasing an additional 2,497 shares during the period. Carter Financial Group INC. grew its position in Tesla by 17.1% during the third quarter. Carter Financial Group INC. now owns 6,343 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $2,251,000 after purchasing an additional 928 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JSF Financial LLC grew its position in Tesla by 5.2% during the third quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 3,063 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Tesla News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

Positive Sentiment: Tesla beat third-quarter adjusted earnings expectations, reporting $0.48 per share versus the $0.45 consensus estimate, and generated approximately $1.5 billion in positive free cash flow. Tesla Surpasses Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates Positive Sentiment: Paid Full Self-Driving adoption exceeded 75% of North American deliveries, with subscriptions increasing 67% year over year. Investors view FSD, robotaxis, Optimus robots, and Megapack energy storage as potential long-term growth engines. Tesla’s FSD Subscriptions Surge Positive Sentiment: European sales reportedly strengthened, while Tesla is expanding its Cybercab robotaxi program beyond Austin and developing AI-based mapping from fleet data. These developments support the company’s autonomy narrative, although commercialization remains early. Tesla Europe Sales Surge Neutral Sentiment: Elon Musk called a SpaceX-Tesla merger a “good idea,” and both companies reportedly formed special committees to study a combination. Potential benefits include shared work in AI, chips, robotics, connectivity, and energy, but no transaction is certain. SpaceX-Tesla Merger Chatter Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain divided: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $410 with an equal-weight rating, while RBC maintained an outperform rating and a $480 target. Bullish forecasts depend heavily on successful autonomy and robotics execution. Negative Sentiment: Revenue was essentially flat year over year at about $28 billion, automotive revenue fell 3%, energy-generation and storage revenue declined 16%, and GAAP operating income dropped 56%. Refunds and other factors also clouded the reported margin improvement. Tesla Automotive and Energy Revenue Results Negative Sentiment: Tesla reduced its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook from more than $25 billion to approximately $20 billion after third-quarter spending trailed expectations. Investors worry the pullback could delay AI, robotics, and robotaxi ambitions. Tesla Spending Pullback Negative Sentiment: Tesla will refund Cybertruck deposits in Australia and New Zealand, signaling reduced regional ambitions for the troubled vehicle. Regulatory scrutiny of the Cybercab and delays in unsupervised FSD add further execution risk. Negative Sentiment: The broader Nasdaq sell-off, renewed doubts about AI spending returns, higher oil prices, and geopolitical tensions have pressured high-valuation technology stocks, including TSLA. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In TSLA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $485.00 target price on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $425.00 price objective (up from $391.00) on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $420.00 price objective on Tesla in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $475.00 target price (up from $450.00) on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $408.61. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on TSLA

Insider Activity at Tesla In other Tesla news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.13, for a total value of $938,498.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 25,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,353,296.36. This trade represents a 9.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Tesla Stock Down 0.6% NASDAQ TSLA opened at $372.22 on Friday. Tesla, Inc. has a twelve month low of $297.38 and a twelve month high of $498.83. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 trillion, a PE ratio of 409.04, a PEG ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.92. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $364.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $377.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.74.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. Tesla had a return on equity of 3.03% and a net margin of 3.11%. The firm had revenue of $28.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.71 EPS for the current year.

Tesla Company Profile (Free Report)

Tesla, Inc is an electric vehicle and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003, the company designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles, including the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck. Tesla also develops vehicle software, driver-assistance features and related services intended to support the operation and ownership of its vehicles.

Beyond automobiles, Tesla produces energy storage products for residential, commercial and utility-scale applications, including the Powerwall and Megapack.

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Tesla's European sales are telling a story that contradicts everything happening in its home market, and the reason behind the turnaround may surprise investors watching the company's global strategy.

Europe’s car market is OK, and September registration numbers show it. In the first nine months of the year, total registrations in the region were up 5.7% to 8,517,058. The organization reported that 22.7% were EVs. The report came from the ACEA, the official tracker of registrations in the area.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) registrations surged in the same period, up 69.9% to 188,035. The momentum picked up in September. Tesla registrations rose 78.6% to 45,866. The EU appears to be Tesla’s best market as EV sales falter in the US, and Tesla faces dozens of China-based EVs operating in its home market.

The one thing that should make Tesla management nervous about the EU is that archrival BYD registered 206,022 vehicles in the first nine months, which was a 154.4% surge.

Tesla is making an EU comeback. Through much of 2025, its sales dropped precipitously. Some observers believe this was because of Elon Musk’s association with Donald Trump and what was seen as meddling in EU politics. Those problems appear to have disappeared.

In its home market, Tesla has a market share just north of 50%. However, US EV sales overall are down 30.7% year over year in the first nine months compared to the same period last year. In 2025, from January through September, EVs accounted for 8.5% of new car sales. That has fallen to 6%. Most experts believe that this is because the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs ended September 30.

Gas prices are higher in most of the EU compared to the US. That may be another reason for rapid adoption.

Tesla needs a boost. Its third-quarter earnings drove the stock down, and unit sales were less than thrilling. Tesla said it delivered 486,582 vehicles, which was about flat with the year before.

In China, there were once over 100 EV companies. It was clear that number would drop. However, the leaders have a large market share, and Tesla will not overcome that.

The EU shows that Tesla can turn a market around. Most of its competition in the US has shut down because of poor sales. It has a chance to make its sales in its home market look more like the EU numbers.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

You can't say it wasn't predictable, but will it really happen?

Investors have long speculated that Elon Musk could combine his two trillion-dollar companies, Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX -9.14%) and Tesla (TSLA -3.08%) now that SpaceX is publicly traded, and just four months after SpaceX's IPO, Musk has expressed interest in doing so. Earlier this year, SpaceX acquired xAI, Musk's AI company, another sign that he is trying to consolidate his empire.

The boards of Tesla and SpaceX have formed special committees to determine whether a merger is in their best interest. Musk is not participating in the review, having recused himself, though he did call a combination of the two companies "a good idea," citing operational synergies in AI, chip manufacturing, robotics, and other areas.

However, there's one simple reason why SpaceX investors may want to avoid a merger with Tesla. Elon Musk's EV company looks grossly overvalued.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Tesla's valuation problemThird-quarter earnings are now in for both SpaceX and Tesla, and while SpaceX reported revenue more than doubling, thanks to the explosive growth of its AI infrastructure business, Tesla just reported a quarter flat revenue growth at $28 billion. Automotive revenue was down 3% to $20.5 billion, while services was the only one of its three business segments to report growth. Total deliveries of Tesla vehicles fell 2% to 486,532.

Tesla investors and others who watch the stock will know this isn't a new pattern. On a trailing four-quarter basis, Tesla's revenue has been roughly flat since 2023.

Demand for its EVs seems to have plateaued for a number of reasons, including new competition, concerns about range anxiety from later adopters, and Musk's own involvement in politics. Plateauing growth wasn’t Tesla's plan though, as Musk said in 2021 that the company would increase its production by 50% annually, though it eventually stepped back from that forecast after badly missing it starting in 2023.

More recently, Musk has been shifting investor focus to autonomy, namely its self-driving cars and Optimus autonomous robots, though Optimus is not on the market yet, and Tesla's full self-driving requires driver supervision.

Musk's promises, which include that Optimus will be "the biggest product on earth,' have helped keep the stock price elevated. Tesla now has a market cap of $1.53 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of around 200.

Its valuation is almost entirely based on future products, but the company keeps delaying the timing of their market launch.

TSLA Tesla$374.58-$11.89 (-3.08%)

NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/22/26

What SpaceX gets from TeslaTesla's technology infrastructure and its development thus far on products like Optimus and full self-driving are worth something, but they seem to be currently valued at a $1 trillion or more, given the flat growth in the overall business.

A merger between SpaceX and Tesla would hide that bloated valuation from investors, benefiting Musk. At this stage, SpaceX investors would seem to be overpaying for Tesla in a merger, and that could hold the combined company back, especially if products like Optimus fail to live up to Musk's expectations.

Musk says that Optimus will ramp up production next year. Let SpaceX investors wait to see what demand for the humanoid robot will really look like. Meanwhile, the Tesla chief has made endless promises about vehicle autonomy being around the corner, but Alphabet's Waymo has rapidly expanded around the country, while visions like the Cybercab have yet to pay off. Notably, Alphabet's stock doesn't seem to reflect Waymo's growth in any way.

Right now, a merger between SpaceX and Tesla would shortchange SpaceX investors, diluting them for an overpriced asset. SpaceX has plenty of its                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               own risks, but it is growing rapidly thanks to its new AI infrastructure business, and Starlink is a clear profit center.

At this point, SpaceX investors should reject a merger with Tesla, at least until either Tesla's price comes down or the company shows that it can move the financial needle with one of its two autonomy businesses.

SummaryTesla faces margin pressure in both automotive and energy segments as CapEx accelerates for FSD, robotaxi, and AI initiatives.Q3'26 deliveries stabilized but failed to show meaningful YoY growth, despite new model launches and discounting.FSD subscription growth has limited revenue impact, and aggressive marketing has eroded brand trust, hindering sales momentum.Negative free cash flow, rising stock-based compensation, and unclear backlog figures highlight financial and operational challenges ahead. sreeyashlohiya/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Investment Thesis This is my first Buy rating for Tesla, Inc. (TSLA), ever. So bear with me.

Q3 '26 results were mixed. The company beat adjusted EPS expectations (EPS: $0.48/share vs. $0.45 consensus) and missed on

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Elon Musk compared training Optimus to raising a toddler.

Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images

Tesla is sending its Optimus humanoid robot back to school.

Speaking on the company's earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk compared training the EV maker's humanoid robot to raising a toddler.

Musk said that while Tesla's autonomous driving models can learn from data collected by its massive fleet of vehicles, its Optimus robot has to learn by watching people do tasks and practicing them itself, a process similar to how humans learn.

"You can see this when you have a toddler, and they initially are sort of wobbly, and they don't know how to do things, and eventually, they learn to wipe their own ass, which is a big milestone," Musk told investors.

"They learn to read and do all sorts of things, and they learn this by playing. And we actually need Optimus to play at scale in order to have it be really good at tasks in the real world," Musk said.

Musk said Tesla expects to begin delivering Optimus to consumers by the end of 2027. 

Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Tesla CEO added that the company was building out an "Optimus Academy" where prototypes can practice a wide range of tasks and generate training data to teach future versions of Optimus.

"For Optimus to get the training data we need, we actually need to make a lot of Optimi. So we need to make, I think, on the order of 10,000 or 20,000 bots and then have them do self-play," said Musk.

Tesla said on Wednesday that it had begun production of Optimus at its Fremont factory, with Musk saying the company expects to begin delivering Optimus to customers by the end of next year.

The near-trillionaire cautioned that production would be "somewhat bumpy" and that development of the humanoid robot still has some way to go.

He listed the challenges of designing durable yet responsive robotic hands, as well as AI capable of handling open-ended tasks, among the main hurdles Tesla faces.

Tesla is not alone in setting up robot academies to provide training data for humanoid robots.

Unlike large language models like ChatGPT, which were trained on the vast corpus of text data available on the internet, robotics faces a shortage of real-world training data to teach humanoids to navigate the physical world.

Other startups, such as Texas-based Apptronik, have also set up "data factories" where robots load conveyor belts and sort objects to generate training data to combat the data shortage.

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Tesla said that it expects to release unsupervised FSD around Q2 2027. Harald Tittel/picture alliance via Getty Images When I reviewed Tesla's Full Self-Driving software in January, I hailed it as an "impressive" driver-assistance feature that left me wanting more.

I dreamed of being able to flip the autonomous driving system on whenever I make my routine 400-mile trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles — kick my feet up, listen to music, and ideally fall asleep without having to supervise the road.

That's been part of Tesla's ultimate pitch for the future. "With autonomy, you get your time back," Elon Musk has said.

And the pitch may soon come true. Just don't expect to make long self-driven road trips quite yet.

On Wednesday, during Tesla's Q3 earnings call, Ashok Elluswamy, the company's VP of AI, painted a more modest picture of what FSD unsupervised will look like for a personal car — at least at first.

Elluswamy said unsupervised FSD is coming "somewhere around Q2 next year" for privately owned Teslas, with the rollout of FSD V15.

The caveat is that it will only be operable in areas where Tesla already operates its Robotaxi service, which represents a small fraction of square miles for the total number of Teslas on US roads.

The Robotaxi platform is available in parts of seven metropolitan regions: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In the Bay Area, all Tesla robotaxis are supervised by a human operator.

"The only additional requirement is to make sure that, for example, the customer Model Ys can be part of the geofences and the fleet management that Tesla has for it to be fully autonomous," Elluswamy said.

In other words, your Tesla may be able to drive itself, but only if you're within the zones where Tesla Robotaxi is operating. If you're in Austin, that could cover about 260 square miles of the city, excluding high-speed roadways.

That's similar to what other aspiring self-driving car companies have pitched.

Tensor, a San Jose-based automaker, aims to sell a luxury sedan that it says can drive itself. However, the self-driving feature will only operate within restricted geofences, the company told Business Insider.

Tesla didn't say why it needs to limit the release of unsupervised FSD to geofences at first, although there are likely questions about liability that the company will have to address once it declares, Yes, our technology now lets you take your eyes off the road.

Autonomy is a difficult problem to solve after all. During the call, Elluswamy shut down the idea that competitors could catch up to Tesla's FSD.

"When they get in the long tail of this problem — it's so long that people don't realize — anyone with a sane mind should not attempt to solve this problem," he said. "It's so difficult."

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Lloyd Lee is a reporter at Business Insider covering frontier technologies, with a focus on how they're being deployed in the real world and the gaps and tensions that emerge as people, companies, and regulators respond. His coverage has featured autonomous vehicles, EVs, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, and AI.Lloyd's reporting on the progress of Alphabet's Waymo and Tesla's autonomous ambitions was recognized by the San Francisco Press Club with a Bay Area Journalism Award.Before joining Business Insider, he was a local reporter for Almanac News and Palo Alto Weekly, covering housing issues, small businesses, and notable Silicon Valley characters.Lloyd is based in San Francisco.He can be reached via email [email protected], or by phone at 646-768-1630, or Signal at lloyd.71.

Tesla

Tesla said it will start selling its Cybercab to customers by the end of the year even as federal regulators investigate whether the gold-hued, autonomous two-seater, which lacks a steering wheel and other traditional controls, meets vehicle safety standards.

During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Lars Moravy, vice president of engineering at Tesla, said the Cybercabs produced today are all destined for the company’s own robotaxi fleet. As that fleet grows, the company will “mainly deliver fully designed autonomous vehicles to our customers,” he said, noting that it will start small.

The company will scale as it learns about delivery, ownership, and fleet management of autonomous vehicles, Moravy added.

Tesla first floated the idea of selling the autonomous vehicle to third parties last month around its Cybercab event in Austin and even posted a robotaxi interest form. But it wasn’t clear if Tesla would follow through, or how.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has talked for years about building a massive fleet of low-cost robotaxis, but until recently, those plans centered on turning privately owned Tesla vehicles into self-driving taxis with a software update.

That plan has yet to materialize, and Musk’s comment Wednesday shows how his views have shifted.

Today, Tesla owners can subscribe to Full Self-Driving (Supervised), an advanced driver-assistance system that automates many driving tasks but still requires the driver to take control. The company continues to push out software updates to FSD to improve its capabilities, but a human driver is still required to remain engaged and ready to take over — even if many have been videoed pushing the boundaries of that rule.

Musk said Wednesday that an unsupervised version of FSD would be rolled out to customers sometime in the second quarter, yet another delay for Tesla owners, many of whom bought or subscribed to the software years ago.

If these two timelines hold, it would mean third-party fleet customers would be able to buy the autonomous Cybercab and potentially operate it as a robotaxi service before Tesla owners would get access to the same autonomous capability in their own cars.

“Cybercab is primarily going to be something that is offered as like transport as a service, whereas our other cars would be more, you know, the cars that you’d want to own, like the 3 and the Y and whatnot, and the Roadster, obviously,” Musk said Wednesday on the call. “But, you know, the vast majority of the Cybercab stuff will be essentially Tesla-owned and and transported as a service.”

There is at least one obstacle that could throw off Tesla’s Cybercab fleet plans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced last month that it had opened an investigation into the Cybercab, just hours after the vehicles began operating on public streets in Austin.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) require manual controls like brake pedals, as well as other features such as rearview and side mirrors. Automakers traditionally self-certify whether their vehicles comply with FMVSS rules, and Tesla did the same.

Current regulations don’t accommodate vehicles without manual controls, though the Department of Transportation recently proposed removing those requirements for vehicles that are designed to be autonomously driven. In the meantime, NHTSA said it would investigate the Cybercab to “examine the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab and related issues.”

The outcome of that investigation could affect whether Tesla, or anyone else, can legally operate the Cybercabs.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in-car tech for more than a decade. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive.

You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal.

Tesla has shed more than a fifth of its value this year, yet Robotaxi miles are piling up and delivery records keep falling. Whether those tailwinds are enough to turn a $10,000 stake into a life-changing sum depends on one…

Shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) closed at $354.72 in the most recent session, down 21.12% year to date. Here is what a $10,000 stake could be worth by 2031, the end of the five-year forecast window.

The selloff has drove the stock well below its 52-week high of $498.83. Meanwhile, Robotaxi, energy storage and full self-driving software keep growing, which makes Tesla worth a fresh look.

Base Case Turns $10,000 Into $14,296 by 2031 In the base case, a $10,000 investment in Tesla could be worth about $14,296 by 2031. That works out to a total return of 42.96%. Behind that figure is a projected five-year share price of $507.11, which equals an annualized return of 7.41%.

Now for the doubling question in the headline. To turn $10,000 into $20,000, Tesla shares would have to reach $709.44. Even the five-year bull case, at $665.49, comes up short.

That path ends with the stake worth $18,761, returning 87.61% overall. For your money to double within this window, Tesla would need to beat even the optimistic case.

Bull, Base and Bear Paths for Your $10,000 Five-Year Horizon (2031) Scenario Target Price Total Return Value of $10,000 Bull $665.49 87.61% $18,761 Base $507.11 42.96% $14,296 Bear $403.54 13.76% $11,376 One-Year Horizon (2027) Scenario Target Price Total Return Value of $10,000 Bull $459.15 29.44% $12,944 Base $391.09 10.25% $11,025 Bear $354.06 -0.19% $9,981 The model has a confidence score of 0.9, which it rates as high. Wall Street’s consensus target is $397.83, and analysts are split. There are 4 strong buy, 15 buy, 21 hold, 2 sell and 2 strong sell ratings.

The model blends trailing P/E, forward P/E and that analyst target. It uses forward EPS of 2.0029 and a forward P/E of 177, then reduces the upside with a mega-cap penalty.

Three Drivers That Could Lift Your Stake Autonomy is starting to pay. Active FSD subscriptions reached 1.48 million, up 56% YoY. Robotaxi has expanded to seven U.S. metros. On the second-quarter call, Ashok Elluswamy said the fleet has driven “more than 380,000 miles of unsupervised Robotaxi, now across six cities in two different states” with “zero notable incidents.”

Vehicle demand bounced back. Second-quarter deliveries hit a record 480,126 vehicles (+25% YoY), and revenue grew to $28.24B (+25.5% YoY), beating estimates. Vaibhav Taneja said Tesla “exited Q2 with our largest order backlog since 2023.” Energy storage deployments reached 13.5 GWh (+41% YoY).

New products add upside. Cybercab is in pilot production at Gigafactory Texas. First-generation Optimus lines are being installed at Fremont, and the AI5 inference chip has taped out. Musk also revealed a new Roadster last week, and the stock lifted on the news (Forbes). He told analysts, “I think Optimus will be the biggest product ever.”

Risks That Could Shrink the Payoff Profitability is the light spot. Second-quarter non-GAAP EPS of $0.33 missed the $0.5367 estimate. Operating margin fell to 1.4%, and free cash flow came in at -$1.09B.

Management expects capital spending of “more than $25 billion” this year and says it will keep going up for two or three years. The stock already trades at about 369 times trailing earnings, so there is little room for execution slips.

There are other risks to consider. Battery and component supply could limit production, and FSD still lacks approval in China and parts of Europe.

The Robotaxi, Optimus and Cybercab ramps all has execution risk. Volatility is high too: Tesla’s beta is 1.916, and the stock fell 17.27% over the past year. With the next earnings report coming up (Morningstar), watch for margins and cash burn.

What $10,000 in Tesla Could Become By 2031, the model’s scenarios put a $10,000 Tesla stake between $11,376 and $18,761, with a base case of $14,296.

Doubling your money would require exceeding even the most optimistic scenario. These are model-based scenarios, not guarantees. Consider it a projection, not investment advice.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Hyperion Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA – Free Report) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,340,736 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after buying an additional 112,598 shares during the quarter. Tesla comprises 13.0% of Hyperion Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Tesla were worth $475,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Tesla in the second quarter valued at $8,535,612,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Tesla during the second quarter valued at $6,083,630,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,039,090,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Tesla in the second quarter valued at about $3,144,509,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,995,584,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Tesla In other news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.13, for a total value of $938,498.78. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 25,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,353,296.36. This represents a 9.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 19.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week: Positive Sentiment: Merger discussions became more concrete. Tesla and SpaceX formed independent special committees to evaluate a potential combination at shareholders’ request. Elon Musk cautioned that a deal is not guaranteed and would require negotiations and shareholder approval, but investors viewed the formal review as a meaningful step toward combining Tesla’s robotics and autonomy efforts with SpaceX’s satellite, AI and infrastructure businesses. Reuters merger and Terafab report Positive Sentiment: Long-term AI and chip ambitions added to the bullish narrative. Musk said the planned Tesla-SpaceX “Terafab” is targeting volume chip production in 2028. The project could eventually support Tesla’s autonomy, robotics and AI-computing goals, although it remains a distant and capital-intensive opportunity. SpaceX and Tesla Terafab article Positive Sentiment: Deliveries exceeded expectations. Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, reportedly 5.3% above forecasts. A Cantor analyst also raised revenue estimates and maintained a $485 price target, citing deliveries and Tesla’s AI initiatives. Options positioning similarly suggested traders expect further upside after earnings. Tesla Q3 delivery report Neutral Sentiment: Earnings are the next major catalyst. Tesla is scheduled to report after Wednesday’s close. Analysts generally expect revenue to be roughly flat or slightly lower year over year and EPS to decline, with investors watching automotive margins, free cash flow, pricing and management’s comments on Cybercab, robotaxis and Optimus. Tesla Q3 preview Negative Sentiment: Underlying demand and profitability remain concerns. China-made Tesla vehicle sales rose because exports increased 58%, while domestic sales fell 9%, highlighting competitive and pricing pressure. Analysts also expect lower quarterly profits, and the Roadster’s limited production potential and unresolved regulatory hurdles make it unlikely to materially improve near-term earnings. Tesla Roadster analysis Tesla Stock Performance NASDAQ TSLA opened at $373.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.48 trillion, a P/E ratio of 346.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.37 and a beta of 1.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $361.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $376.97. Tesla, Inc. has a 1 year low of $297.38 and a 1 year high of $498.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by ($0.17). Tesla had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 3.82%. The business had revenue of $28.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.71 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Barclays raised Tesla from a “negative” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Tesla from $280.00 to $268.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $415.07.

Read Our Latest Report on Tesla

Tesla Company Profile (Free Report)

Tesla, Inc is an electric vehicle and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003, the company designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles, including the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck. Tesla also develops vehicle software, driver-assistance features and related services intended to support the operation and ownership of its vehicles.

Beyond automobiles, Tesla produces energy storage products for residential, commercial and utility-scale applications, including the Powerwall and Megapack.

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Tesla outsells all other brands combined as America's EV market resets

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Tesla is taking a bigger slice of America's electric-vehicle market as high gas prices give drivers another reason to consider ditching the pump.

The company sold an estimated 144,094 vehicles in the US in the third quarter, up from 124,800 in the previous three months, according to Cox Automotive's latest sales report.

That increase was bigger than the gain for the rest of the US EV market. Put another way: Tesla drove the recovery. Everyone else, taken together, went backward.

The figures offer a new twist on the EV comeback I wrote about in July. Back then, sales had finally improved after the slump that followed the end of federal incentives in the US. Several manufacturers were benefiting, but only those with the fortitude to stick with EVs after federal government support waned.

While recovery continued in the third quarter, it became more dependent on Tesla.

Americans bought 262,649 new EVs during the period, about 6% more than in the second quarter. Sales outside Tesla fell roughly 3%, based on a comparison of Cox's latest counts with its second-quarter report.

Tesla's own sales rose about 15% from the second quarter. It supplied 54% of the country's new EVs in the third quarter, extending its lead from the previous period.

High gas prices help make the case for going electric, according to Cox.

"With gas prices well above $4 a gallon, electric vehicles look better than ever," Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox's director of Industry Insights, said in the company's analysis of the quarter.

Expensive gasoline and diesel make running a conventional vehicle more painful. For drivers who can charge cheaply, particularly at home, an EV offers a valuable alternative to repeated trips to the pump.

There's an important caveat to the comeback story: Sales are improving from a depressed level.

Total US EV sales were down almost 40% from a year earlier. Last year's third quarter was unusually strong because buyers rushed to claim federal incentives before they disappeared.

Tesla's sales were down about 20% against that comparison. The company remains heavily dependent on two vehicles. The Model Y and Model 3 accounted for roughly 97% of its US sales in the latest quarter.

The Cybertruck sold over 4,300 units, and Tesla has stopped making the Model S and X. (There's a Roadster, though not until 2028).

So Tesla's growing dominance isn't a story of every model flying out of showrooms, or of selling more cars than a year ago.

For now, it is winning a larger share of a smaller market. As Americans return to EV shopping, Tesla is capturing more of their business.

Sign up for the AI Insider newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at [email protected]

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Tesla Electric Vehicles Gas Prices More Automotive Cars Transportation

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Elon Musk said Tesla and SpaceX have created committees to discuss a potential merger. Bloomberg/Getty Images Houston, we have an update on all that SpaceX-Tesla merger chatter.

During SpaceX's Tuesday earnings call, Elon Musk said both of the companies had created "special committees of independent directors" to discuss a potential merger.

Musk, who helms both companies and owns billions of dollars in stock of each, said he can't be part of those exploratory groups.

"Do I think it would be a good idea? Yes," he said on the call. "But at the end of the day, the shareholders have to be supportive of this, and particularly on the Tesla side, we will need a 50% vote of all shares, not just those who vote, but of all shareholders."

He said clearing that bar would be "quite a high hurdle."

It's the most detailed update investors have received yet on the idea of a tie-up, which has been the subject of much chatter since SpaceX went public earlier this year. If the companies ultimately decide to merge, it would further consolidate Musk's business empire, often referred to as Musk Inc.

His businesses have been on a consolidation kick. In 2025, xAI acquired Musk's social media company, X (formerly Twitter), and in February, SpaceX acquired xAI.

Musk also runs the brain-chip startup, Neuralink, and the tunnel-building firm The Boring Company. Both operate independently, but have had business collaborations within Musk Inc.

Tesla and SpaceX's stocks were up in after-hours trading following the news. SpaceX was up around 6.6% and Tesla 1.6%.

Musk sees clear benefits in tying the knot"I do think there's a lot of merit to combining the companies as we are pretty much in the superintelligence singularity," Musk said during the call.

SpaceX and Tesla have worked together on a host of projects, including artificial intelligence software, chip design, TeraFab manufacturing efforts, robotics, Starlink satellite connectivity, and SpaceX's ability to launch payloads into orbit, Musk and SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said.

The most recent result of that partnership: On Thursday, Tesla demoed its long-awaited Roadster, which includes a version with SpaceX technology. The high-powered sports car's top trim will include cold-gas thrusters. The car launched, hovered, and flipped in the air during the demo.

While Musk is for the two companies tying the knot, he said investors shouldn't think it's a sure thing.

"I don't think we should necessarily assume that a SpaceX and Tesla merger is a certainty," he added. "That would be overstating it."

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Ben Shimkus is a reporter for the Business News desk. He writes about cars, transportation, retail, and jobs. Ben's reporting has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Verge, Automotive News, USA Today, AutoBody News, LGBTQ Nation, TopSpeed, and Out Magazine. He's also held staff writing positions at The U.S. Sun and the Daily Mail. He graduated from NYU with a Master's in journalism in 2024. Email Ben at [email protected] or message him privately on Signal at bshimkus.41. 

SpaceX Tesla Elon Musk More

Tesla's proxy filing attached a staggering number to Elon Musk's 2025 pay, but whether shareholders actually lose anything depends on conditions few companies have ever met before.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) filed its definitive proxy at 6:15 a.m. ET on Monday, October 19, 2026, reports Elon Musk’s 2025 compensation at $158,359,009,867, all of it in stock awards. Salary, bonus, option awards, and other pay are all zero, because Musk has never accepted a salary and Tesla has no cash bonus program for named executives.

That total is an accounting value measured at grant date under the standard stock-compensation rule, though Musk has received no cash and no vested stock from it.

Tesla shares rose 3.76% that day to close at $368.06, leaving it with a market cap of $1.45 trillion. The stock is still down 18.16% for the year, and third-quarter results are expected after the close on Wednesday, October 21.

For owners, the headline number mostly leaves what they own unchanged, although the vote and the earnings report both deserve attention.

The 2025 CEO Performance Award accounts for $132,298,849,867, valued at the maximum assuming every condition is met. It covers about 423.7 million shares of performance-based restricted stock.

The rest is a 2025 CEO Interim Award valued at $26,060,160,000, which was fully forfeited in April 2026. The performance award had not been earned or vested as of the proxy.

How Musk Would Actually Earn the Shares The award is split into 12 tranches. Both milestones must be met. Each pays out only when a market-cap milestone and an operational milestone are both met, and earned shares must be held for five years, subject to limited exceptions.

The operational targets reward businesses the proxy highlights. These include 46.7 gigawatt-hours of 2025 storage installations, up 48.7%, plus Cybercab production at Gigafactory Texas, Robotaxi expansion, the Tesla Semi and Optimus lines.

The share count equals roughly 10.7% of Tesla’s 3,949,547,000 shares outstanding. Shareholders give up that stake only if Tesla becomes a far larger company, which many owners are likely to accept.

What Shareholders Can Change on December 3 The annual meeting is Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. Shareholders vote on three items. These are re-electing Musk, board chair Robyn Denholm, and JB Straubel; a say-on-pay vote; and approving PwC, with the board recommending approval of all three items.

The pay vote is advisory and cannot undo the award, and the chair managing it is herself a candidate. Last year’s say-on-pay drew approximately 78.2% support, while a proposal to drop supermajority voting failed at approximately 39.4% of outstanding shares.

Why the Earnings Report Matters More In the second quarter, operating expenses rose 47% to $4.35 billion, partly from stock compensation tied to this award. Operating margin fell to 1.4%, and non-GAAP EPS of $0.33 missed the $0.5367 estimate. Key-person risk also remains, because Musk runs SpaceX too and recently promised to give away SpaceX shares.

What Long-Term Tesla Owners Need to Weigh Before Earnings The award matters most to owners with a horizon matching Musk’s five-year holding rule, because the accounting figure costs shareholders nothing unless Tesla’s value grows.

Valuation is the larger risk at a P/E of 383x. ARK’s $4,400 long-term target shows how far bullish assumptions stretch.

The test comes on October 21. If operating margin fails to improve on the second quarter’s 1.4%, the bullish case weakens, and the long-term thesis becomes harder to defend.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

AA Financial Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA – Free Report) by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,831 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after selling 8,810 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Tesla were worth $5,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TSLA. Clear Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Tesla by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Clear Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Peirce Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Tesla by 1.5% in the second quarter. Peirce Capital Management LLC now owns 1,657 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC NY grew its stake in Tesla by 3.8% in the first quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC NY now owns 713 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Phillip James Consulting Co. increased its holdings in Tesla by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Phillip James Consulting Co. now owns 326 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Cadence Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Tesla by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Cadence Wealth Management LLC now owns 580 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Tesla Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

Positive Sentiment: Roadster enthusiasm and SpaceX speculation supported sentiment. Tesla’s thruster-powered Roadster demonstration, along with Elon Musk’s claims about future autonomy and “sentience,” generated investor interest. Commentary also revived speculation that SpaceX could acquire or merge with Tesla, although analysts stressed that such a transaction would be complex and remains unconfirmed. Tesla’s Roadster Reveal Hints at 2 Much Bigger Moves Positive Sentiment: Florida policy comments added to the Roadster catalyst. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would work to make the flying Roadster legal in the state, helping Tesla outperform smaller EV peers. The commercial opportunity remains highly uncertain because Tesla has not established pricing, production scale or regulatory approval. Tesla Rises as DeSantis Vows to Make Flying Roadster Legal in Florida Positive Sentiment: Shareholders will vote on board continuity. Tesla asked investors to re-elect Musk, Chair Robyn Denholm and JB Straubel at the December annual meeting. The proposal maintains the current leadership structure, which may reassure supporters of Tesla’s AI, robotaxi and robotics strategy. Tesla Asks Shareholders to Re-elect Musk, Denholm and Straubel Neutral Sentiment: Q3 earnings are the immediate trading event. Tesla reports after Wednesday’s close. Estimates generally call for about $27.8 billion-$27.9 billion in revenue and roughly $0.43-$0.44 in adjusted EPS, below the prior-year EPS figure. Options markets imply a potentially large post-earnings move, making margin commentary, deliveries, FSD monetization and capital spending particularly important. How Much Tesla Stock Is Expected to Move After Earnings Negative Sentiment: Profitability and valuation remain major risks. Analysts expect earnings to decline, with gross-margin pressure and substantial spending on AI, chips, Optimus and robotaxis potentially limiting near-term profits. At a very elevated valuation, Tesla may need to materially exceed expectations to sustain the rebound. Tesla’s Biggest Earnings Risk May Be Its Bullish Sentiment Positive Sentiment: A federal appeals court decision reduced legal overhang. A Ninth Circuit ruling decertified a class action involving Tesla’s self-driving claims, a potentially favorable development for litigation risk, although it does not eliminate all legal or regulatory exposure. US Appeals Court Overturns Class Action Lawsuit Over Tesla Self-Driving Claims Insider Activity at Tesla In related news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.13, for a total value of $938,498.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 25,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,353,296.36. This represents a 9.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 19.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms recently weighed in on TSLA. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated a “reduce” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Monday, September 14th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $391.00 target price (up from $385.00) on shares of Tesla in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, July 9th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $415.07.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Tesla

Tesla Stock Performance Shares of TSLA stock opened at $368.06 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $360.72 and a 200 day moving average of $377.03. Tesla, Inc. has a 1 year low of $297.38 and a 1 year high of $498.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 394.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 22.59 and a beta of 1.92.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $28.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.42 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 3.82% and a net margin of 3.67%. Tesla’s quarterly revenue was up 25.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Tesla Profile (Free Report)

Tesla, Inc is an electric vehicle and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003, the company designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles, including the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck. Tesla also develops vehicle software, driver-assistance features and related services intended to support the operation and ownership of its vehicles.

Beyond automobiles, Tesla produces energy storage products for residential, commercial and utility-scale applications, including the Powerwall and Megapack.

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Florida's governor just made a bold promise about Tesla's flying Roadster, and the stock market is already reacting in ways that separate Tesla from every other EV maker on the board.

A pledge from Florida’s governor is lifting one electric vehicle maker while its smaller rivals retreat. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) shares are up 4% to $367.59 in afternoon trading after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promised to make the company’s flying Roadster legal in his state.

Meanwhile, Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) shares are down 0.9% to $12.31, trailing well behind the gain in Tesla shares, and Lucid Group (NASDAQ:LCID) is off by 1.12% to $3.10.

The divergence points to a reaction to the Roadster headline that’s specific to Tesla, and Rivian and Lucid are smaller pure-play EV makers that aren’t yet profitable.

DeSantis Pledges Florida Will Make the Roadster Legal
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took to X. He declared that his state will make Tesla’s flying Roadster legal, writing, “We will make sure that it’s legal.” His comments followed Tesla’s revealing of the long-delayed Roadster last week.

At that event, a version of the Roadster fitted with air tanks and thrusters launched off a ramp, flew briefly and landed on its wheels. The demonstration turned a sports car Tesla has promised for years into a showcase for its engineering ambitions, and the governor’s pledge now adds a political boost.

Tesla stock is also rising alongside a broad rebound in technology names, so the Roadster headline is one of two forces behind the move. Large-cap tech is strong, with the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) up 2%. That gap with Tesla stock suggests the Roadster pledge is giving Tesla an extra boost on top of the tech rally.

Tesla Pulls Away From Rivian and Lucid
The Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF (NASDAQ:DRIV) is up 1%, a smaller advance than Tesla shares are posting. Its portfolio spans automakers, chipmakers, battery suppliers and autonomy software firms, which reduces the effect of any headline about a single company.

Rivian builds the R1T pickup, the R1S SUV and commercial electric delivery vans, and it’s launching the mid-size R2 SUV to reach a broader market. Lucid designs the Air sedan and the Gravity SUV, assembling them in Arizona while preparing a second plant in Saudi Arabia for production. A software and services section, including a joint venture with Volkswagen Group, gives Rivian another source of revenue.

Closer to the governor’s home state, Tesla runs its Robotaxi service in several U.S. metros, including unsupervised rides in Miami, Orlando and Tampa. That Florida presence gives the governor’s endorsement extra weight for Tesla. Cybercab production has also begun at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, and lines for the Optimus humanoid robot are being installed.

Roadster Hype Meets Regulatory Reality
Federal regulators decide whether a vehicle can fly, so Florida’s endorsement carries mostly symbolic weight, and production isn’t expected for years while Tesla hasn’t announced a price for the flying version.

Optimists see the Roadster as evidence Tesla can still generate excitement around new hardware. However, a vehicle years from production and lacking federal clearance may add little to Tesla’s near-term results. Tesla’s growth pitch already leans on Full Self-Driving software, Megapack batteries and the Robotaxi service, leaving the Roadster at its edge.

Washington Holds the Key to the Flying Roadster
The next test for Tesla is whether the flying Roadster ever clears federal approval. Shareholders can watch for whether Florida officials follow up with details on how the state intends to honor the governor’s pledge.

A rally in Tesla shares while Rivian and Lucid shares are slipping shows the Roadster headline lifting a single name in the EV group. Traders may prefer to keep their TSLA stock exposure reasonably small. It’s wise to do so until the flying Roadster’s path to production resolves, the kind of fenced-off speculation we spelled out in a free guide to small-stakes bets.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Like the head-turning Roadster it reintroduced last week with some snazzy new performance features, Tesla (TSLA -2.13%) shares come with a big price tag. The stock enters this week at $354.72.

Despite the triple-digit price of admission, now could be a good time to buy at least a single share. Even if your broker is open to selling you fractional shares, going with a round share is more than just a cleaner transaction. It provides you with full voting power and the ability to transfer to a brokerage account, which may not allow fractional purchases.

Image source: Getty Images.

It can fly There's a lot going for Tesla stock these days. A surge in gas prices is boosting the value proposition of electric vehicles, reversing the bearish narrative that began for U.S. drivers in the fall of last year after federal tax credits of up to $7,500 for new purchases or leases expired.

The high-end Roadster is just one of the many new offerings coming from the world's most valuable automaker by market cap. Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots, improvements in its autonomous driving platform, and a push into commercial vehicles leave analysts expecting annual revenue to nearly double in the next three years.

TSLA Tesla$354.72-$7.72 (-2.13%)

NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/16/26

Sticking the landing A lot can also go wrong. Profitability was cut in half in its previous quarter. Analysts see a much smaller decline on the bottom line when it reports third-quarter results later this week, but it still needs to turn that around.

The top line has recovered quickly from last year's fourth-quarter decline, bringing us to today's opportunity. The shares are down 21% this year. The fundamentals are holding up better. Even as we head into Wednesday afternoon's financial update, analysts are bracing for flat sales. This is actually a good thing, since last year's third quarter was when sales spiked as U.S. buyers scrambled to get their orders in before the federal tax credit expired.

Tesla is out of favor with investors this year. Volatility has always been part of this story, but historically, as with its new Roadster Rocket, it's just a matter of time before it lifts off the ground.

Rick Munarriz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Tesla byla po řadu let na americkém akciovém trhu mezi vyloženě velkými firmami tou nejvíce příběhovou. Nyní jí na obou rovinách předehnala SpaceX, u obou se přitom ne náhodou uvažuje o fůzi. K jejich příběhům je jen zřídka dodáno nějaké konkrétnější valuační číslo. Maximálně zazní nějaké úvahy o „správném“ PE, tedy poměru cen akcie k ziskům. Myslím si ale, že i nějaká základní valuační úvaha o hodnotě má svou přidanou hodnotu. Dnes jednu nabídnu.

V principu tedy potřebujeme následující – odhad toho, co firma bude v budoucnu generovat pro ty, kteří jí poskytují finance (volný tok hotovosti) A požadovanou návratnost/cenu tohoto kapitálu V následující kalkulaci jsem jako průměrný náklad kapitálu Tesly použil odhad z valueinvesting.io – jim vyšel tento WACC na 7,7 %. Do roku 2029 by pak podle této instituce měla firma na volném toku hotovosti FCF vydělat 20 milard dolarů.

Tato částka by tedy měla zbýt po investicích. A pokud dáme stranou případné akvizice a fůze, měly by být k dispozici pro věřitele a akcionáře. Po roce 2029 jsem tempo tohoto FCF nechal postupně klesat tak, aby do roku 2036 dosáhlo 2 %. Tedy aby rostlo pouze o inflaci, vše „reálné“ bude pak stabilní, firma už nebude „reálně“ expandovat. Hodnota FCF po roce 2036 je odražena v tzv. terminální hodnotě.

V tomto scénáři, v němž FCF vzroste do deseti let na více než 60 miliard dolarů, má vlastní jmění hodnotu 784 miliard dolarů. Kapitalizace je nad 1,4 bilionem dolarů, takže investoři počítají s něčím téměř dvojnásobě lepším. Tj., buď používají nižší náklad kapitálu. Nebo hlavně očekávají vyšší volný tok hotovosti. Ten si můžeme rozdělit na dění před rokem 2036 a po něm. Pokud se zaměříme se na FCF před ním, současnou kapitalizaci by ospravedlnil třeba následující scénář:

Na současnou kapitalizaci se tedy dostaneme třeba v případě, že by Tesla do roku 2036 generovala pro poskytovatele kapitálu téměř 120 miliard dolarů ročně. Letos pomyslný konsenzus čeká, že bude v záporu asi 5 – 6 miliard dolarů. Samozřejmě se hovoří o tom, že Tesla není automobilka, ale technologická firma, která bude úspěšná v řadě oblastí včetně autonomních taxíků, robotů, energetiky. Třeba Ark Invest, která je u této akcie možná největším býkem, mluví o tom, že asi 90 % hodnoty firmy bude tvořit autonomie a související aktivity. A Ark odhaduje hodnotu ještě mnohem výš, než je současná kapitalizace.

Výše uvedené tedy ukazuje nějaké proporce toho, co je nyní zabudováno v současné ceně akcie a kapitalizaci firmy. Pro doplnění perspektivy si můžeme připomenout, že třeba Apple by měl letos generovat FCF u 135 miliard dolarů, Meta je na tom podobně, Microsoft by měl být asi na polovině. Tesla by se tedy i s pomocí inflace měla v roce 2036 velmi zhruba dostat tam, kde jsou dnes tyto společnosti. Mimochodem, co vydělávají největší automobilky? Ford je se svým FCF na cca 7 miliardách dolarů, GM o něco výš, Toyota je u 13 miliard dolarů u VW se čeká 3 – 6 miliard eur. A čínská BYD je v záporu.

Připomeňme si ještě, že do FCF promlouvá nejen to, co firma vydělá na provozu, ale i investice. Vývoj FCF je tedy dán i investičním cyklem, který může být velmi silný právě u společností, které mají tah na nové technologie. Čímž se vracíme k samotnému úvodu a oné příběhovosti.

A US appeals court threw out on Friday an order allowing Tesla (TSLA.O) customers in California to pursue class action claims accusing the electric vehicle ​maker of misleading them about the capabilities of its full self-driving technology.

In ‌its ruling, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said there were too many individualized questions about what buyers actually saw before making a purchase, and so they ​could not sustain their lawsuit as a class action.

The appeals court decision is ​a win for now for Tesla, which had urged the appeals ⁠court to vacate orders by a California judge last year certifying three sets of ​classes. The ruling means the thousands of California buyers the lower court had grouped together ​cannot, for now, pursue their claims jointly in a single case.

The ruling is not on the merits of the plaintiffs' lawsuit alleging false advertising, and the case remains pending. The plaintiffs contend Tesla ​is misrepresenting its vehicles' hardware capabilities for full self-driving, convincing customers to pay extra ​money for software that they say does not work.

In a statement, the plaintiffs' lawyers said "we think the ‌panel ⁠did not fully appreciate the unique circumstances here, and the importance of the hardware statement to Tesla's marketing campaign."

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tesla has denied the plaintiffs' claims.

In the underlying case, US District Judge Rita Lin last ​year ruled that thousands of ​prospective buyers were ⁠likely exposed to Tesla's claim on its website that vehicles sold from October 2016 to the present contained hardware needed for full ​self-driving capability.

But the appeals court panel — Circuit Judges Ronald Gould, ​Jay Bybee ⁠and Daniel Bress — said the plaintiffs could not show that all class members had been exposed to the allegedly false statement.

The US Chamber of Commerce filed a court brief in ⁠support of ​Tesla and urged the appeals court to strike ​the class certification orders. The business advocate said the underlying ruling "threatens to substantially increase the costs to businesses ​and consumers of overbroad and meritless class proceedings."

SummaryTesla, Inc.'s flying Roadster is impressive, but its commercial potential remains uncertain and does little to justify a $1.4 trillion valuation.Q3 vehicle deliveries exceeded expectations, yet automotive margins remain under pressure, raising concerns about earnings quality.Wall Street expects nearly $10B in negative free cash flow during H2 2026 as Tesla accelerates investments in AI, robotaxi, and Optimus.Even if TSLA triples adjusted EPS by 2029, investors could still face losses at current valuations. My rating remains Strong Sell. Bjorn Bakstad/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Tesla Roadster Do you remember "Knight Rider"? The 80s TV show featuring David Hasselhoff and the legendary KITT, the intelligent car that would talk, drive by itself, and seemingly perform just about any feat possible. It was the stuff

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

SummaryTesla, Inc. is downgraded to Hold, with shares seen near fair value but facing near-term technical downside.Recent Q2 results showed strong revenues but sharply lower operating income and negative free cash flow due to high capex.TSLA stock projection is reduced to the high-$300s, reflecting softer earnings forecasts, margin pressure, and execution risks.Key technical support is at $270; a retreat to the high $200s would present a more attractive risk/reward entry for TSLA shares. jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Elon Musk put on quite a show in Texas on Thursday, October 15. Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) shares surged 4% in the pre-market session that followed, on the heels of a flying roadster at its

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Elon Musk couldn’t hide his delight after unveiling his new Tesla supercar “The Roadster” that could fly and hit 60 mph in under a second.

The SpaceX founder, 55, told guests at an event held at a SpaceX site in McGregor, Texas, on Thursday that the next-generation all-electric vehicle “can basically fly like a rocket”, can do “rolls”, and “crazy gymnastics” while it was being showcased.

“Well it worked,” Musk quipped alongside Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy and Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Wolzhausen after the demonstration passed without any accident.

Tesla unveiled its new Roadster car that Elon Musk said ‘can basically fly like a rocket’ via REUTERS
Musk said he thought he was “crazy” when he suggested the concept of the Roadster 2 to his team, teasing that the vehicle was “better than any James Bond car.”

“We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI,” Musk told the crowd. “So, you guys can tell people that you saw it with your eyes. Because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe.

“You’re going to see what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company. This is the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and Space X engineers working closely together to make something that you haven’t seen in any movie.”

The car drove upside down on a curved ramp using a suction system and turned in the air.

“We have a fan suction system on the bottom of the car that can pull up to 2Gs (twice the force of gravity) in order to make the car upside down,” Moravy said, explaining the function.

“Then we borrowed some technology from SpaceX to do the rest. This car really sucks. This car could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. It could suck a tennis ball through a hose pipe,” Moravy added.

Tesla’s Roadster will be its only manually driven car that it makes.

The car, which didn’t have a human driver inside because Musk didn’t want to “kill anyone,” landed using its built-in thrusters.

The car, which has a steer-by-wire system built in, then performed a kick-flip demo in the next segment of the presentation.

The car drove upside down on a curved ramp using a suction system and turned in the air. via REUTERS
It zoomed towards a truck and other cars part of the Tesla fleet before thrusting up into the air to an altitude of around 21 feet before rotating and landing.

The car, which can reach a top speed of up to 230 mph and has a battery range of at least 300 miles, was engulfed in the cloud of smoke produced by the jets. 

A zero to 60 mph speed test was carried out and the car clocked a time of 0.81 seconds. But Musk suggested the car might be able to exceed its 230 mph top speed.

“I think you got to crack halfway to the speed of sound — Mach 0.5,” he said, which was met with sniggers by Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer, and Moravy.

Fans were left in awe by what they had seen during the event, which was livestreamed by Tesla.

“Elon Musk just made Turbo Boost a reality,” one said, including a nod to the iconic scene from the 1980s show “Knight Rider” where Michael Knight, played by David Hasselhoff, pressed the turbo boost button on K.I.T.T’s dashboard.

“A bunch of guys my age have been waiting our whole lives for this.”

The car appeared to fly over a truck and other Tesla models. Tesla
“Turns out the future does have flying cars,” Musk later quipped on X, reveling in the achievement.

Musk has previously teased the prospect of flying cars.

During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” last October, Musk teased the demonstration would be “unforgettable” and said, “I think it has a shot of being the most memorable product unveil ever.”

Production will start in 2028 and a “performance” version of the vehicle requires a $50,000 deposit.

A so-called “Thrust” version that comes with “acceleration thrusters” will require a $250,000 deposit. 

During the event, Musk claimed the car will be “on the roads” before slightly backtracking.

The car went from zero to 60mph in less than a second. Tesla
“You know I’m not necessarily sure it’s legal in all jurisdictions,” he said.

“But there will be such a car that someone can own.”

“Depends on your street, but it’ll be a viable car,” he said in response to an audience member if the car would be road legal.

Tesla’s new Roadster comes 18 years after the original Roadster, Tesla’s first EV, hit the market.

The company is shifting its focus towards artificial intelligence-led self- driving tech and robotics.

Tesla has stopped selling its Model S and X cars. The company will publish its Q3 2026 financial results on Oct. 21.

Tesla trades at multiples that make traditional automakers look like bargain bins, and whether that premium survives depends on a set of bets that have never been more consequential or more uncertain.

The 24/7 Wall St. price target for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) is $410.88 over the next 12 months. With shares at $380.54 in Monday morning trading, that means 7.97% upside. Our model rates Tesla a buy with high confidence.

Metric
Value

Current Price
$380.54

Price Target from 24/7 Wall St.
$410.88

Upside/Downside
7.97%

Recommendation
BUY

Confidence Level
90%

Tesla trades at 354x trailing earnings and 159x forward earnings. Justifying that multiple requires autonomy, energy, and robotics to generate profits far larger than the car business produces today. Our model finds the market already prices in much of that future, leaving small but real upside.

Revenue Is Accelerating While an AI Build Absorbs Margins
Shares rose 2.68% over the past week and 3.46% over the past month, but remain down 15.38% year to date. The stock sits between a 52-week low of $297.38 and a high of $498.83. On Friday, Tesla rose as Elon Musk asserted control over the Terafab chip project.

Second-quarter revenue reached $28.24 billion, up 25.5% and exceeding the $26.36 billion consensus, on record Q2 deliveries of 480,126 vehicles. EPS came in at $0.33, while operating margin contracted to 1.4% as operating expenses rose 47% to $4.35 billion. Free cash flow came in at negative $1.092 billion.

What Bulls Need to See for $470
Software is the core of the bull case. Active Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscriptions hit 1.48 million, up 56%. Robotaxi now operates in 7 US metros and has logged more than 380,000 miles of unsupervised driving with zero notable incidents.

Energy storage deployments reached 13.5 GWh. Musk told analysts, “I think Optimus will be the biggest product ever.” Among analysts, 4 rate Tesla a strong buy and 15 a buy. If those businesses scale on schedule, our bull case reaches $470.40.

Cash Burn and a Hold-Heavy Street Cloud the Story
Management expects 2026 capex of more than $25 billion and plans to keep raising it for the next two or three years. Automotive margin excluding credits fell to 16.3% from 19.2%.

The drop reflects a tough comparison: Q1 included a $230 million one-time benefit, and without it margins were about flat. Energy margins also fell after a $240 million warranty true-up tied to legacy installations.

Prediction market traders give Optimus just a 7.3% chance of release by year-end. On the Street, 21 analysts rate the stock a hold, and the consensus target of $396.57 sits close to today’s price. The downside scenario lands at $367.91.

Tesla vs. GM and Ford: Software Explains the Premium

Company
Forward P/E
Price/Sales (TTM)

Tesla
159
14.59

General Motors (NYSE:GM)
6
0.391

Ford (NYSE:F)
7
0.258

General Motors is the closest US competitor in EVs and autonomy. GM generated $185.5 billion in trailing revenue, far more than Tesla’s $103.6 billion, yet trades at a fraction of Tesla’s valuation. The gap shows that investors price Tesla on its future potential.

Ford offers a value contrast, with a 4.9% dividend yield, while quarterly revenue declined 3.8%. Tesla’s 25.5% revenue growth earns some premium, though measured against the peer group alone, our 24/7 Wall St. price target looks fully valued.

Cash Flow Will Decide Whether Tesla Earns Its Premium
The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $410.88 supports a buy at 90% confidence. FSD subscription growth is what tips the scale.

The bull case strengthens if Robotaxi keeps expanding and free cash flow turns positive again in 2027. The outlook weakens if capex keeps climbing without any recovery in margins. For now, the growth engine supports the model’s rating.

Tesla Price Prediction 2026-2030

Year
Price Target from 24/7 Wall St.

2026
$382.60

2027
$430.06

2028
$436.08

2029
$473.40

2030
$502.05

Tesla would need to keep executing on its current strategy for these projections to hold. Large moves in either direction could come from Optimus production timing or a possible SpaceX merger, which traders price at 59.5% probability of being announced by the end of 2027.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Key Takeaways TSLA secured an order for 260 Megapack 2XL units, providing about 1 GWh of storage capacity.Deliveries are expected to begin in late 2027, with installations scheduled to become operational in 2028.About 33 units have signed contracts, while 150 remain under negotiation, limiting revenue visibility.
Tesla (TSLA - Free Report) is gaining opportunities in the energy storage market as artificial intelligence (AI) data centers increase electricity demand. Per Teslarati, Taiwan-based power company Apollo Power has ordered 260 Tesla Megapack 2XL battery storage units, representing approximately 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of storage capacity. Apollo signed the contract with Tesla's Taiwan energy arm last week to support behind-the-meter energy storage and grid resilience projects. 

Deliveries are expected to begin in batches toward the end of 2027, with the installations scheduled to become operational in 2028. The companies have not disclosed the contract value, citing a confidentiality agreement. The order highlights the growing role of large-scale battery storage in supporting energy-intensive AI infrastructure. 

TSLA's AI Storage Business Builds on AI DemandThe Apollo Power agreement could strengthen Tesla's position in the energy storage market as AI data centers seek reliable power supplies. Battery storage systems help manage electricity demand, provide backup support and reduce dependence on grid availability.  

Per Teslarati, Apollo is also working with Phison, Gigabyte and Shihlin Electric on an AI data center and grid resilience alliance. The initiative builds on a pilot project at Phison's Zhunan facility, where Apollo and Tesla Energy Taiwan installed grid-forming Megapack 2XL units in June. Teslarati also notes that Megapacks support xAI's Colossus facility in Memphis and a 400-megawatt AI campus in Brazil. The Megapack 2XL has also been included in Nvidia's DSX Ready qualification for battery storage in AI factories. 

Tesla's broader storage capabilities could support further growth. Per Teslarati, the company has deployed more than 50 GWh of energy storage worldwide, while its Megablock offering targets commissioning 1 GWh of capacity in 20 business days.  

Energy Generation and Storage, led by Megapack and Powerwall, remains a key diversification lever. In the third quarter of 2026, Tesla deployed 13.7 GWh of energy storage products, up 9.6% year over year and 1.4% sequentially. Tesla says its order backlog remains robust, and Megafactory Texas is nearing production of Megapack 3 and Megablock, which should expand capacity. 

That company-wide momentum is separate from the Apollo deal, though, whose revenue contribution remains unclear.  

Competitive Landscape: Fluence Energy & Bloom EnergyFluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC - Free Report) competes with Tesla in the grid-scale battery storage market, supplying energy storage systems, software and services for utilities and large energy projects. Per Reuters, Fluence was engaged in more than 30 GWh of data center-related projects globally as of May 2026. Yesterday, Fluence also announced an agreement with Vattenfall for a battery storage project in Germany with more than 1 GWh of capacity, scheduled to become operational by the end of 2028. 

Bloom Energy Corporation (BE - Free Report) competes in the broader AI data center power market through its fuel cell technology, which generates electricity onsite rather than storing electricity for later use. Its expanded partnership with MiTAC Computing in August 2026 will deploy fuel cell systems at an AI server manufacturing campus in Fremont, CA. It also announced yesterday that American Electric Power plans to invest approximately $4 billion in a 702-megawatt fuel cell project using Bloom's technology to supply Google under a 20-year power purchase agreement.  

The Zacks Rundown for TeslaShares of TSLA are down 14.3% in a year against its industry's 1.1% fall.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Tesla is currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 12.53X, higher than the industry’s average of 3.34X. It carries a Value Score of F.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TSLA for 2026 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 1.2%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The consensus estimate for EPS for fiscal 2026 has moved southward over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

TSLA currently has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Ahead of Tesla Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) third-quarter 2026 earnings call scheduled to take place on Oct. 21, here are some of the top questions on investors’ minds, ranging from the Cybercab scale-up, Robotaxi fleet’s insurance liability, to a possible Tesla van in the works and more.

Cybercab Fleet Expansion, Insurance LiabilityTesla investors, sharing the questions on the Say platform on Thursday, asked about Tesla’s timeline for the Cybercab’s retail debut. “When will the CyberCab be available for customer purchase/ownership?” an investor representing over 444,000 shares asked.

Another question related to Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet was asked by an investor representing over 515,000 shares. “How does the Cybercab fleet scale past Austin?” the investor asked following the Cybercab’s recent 300+ vehicle expansion announcement. “What’s the regulatory path outside Texas given NHTSA’s open safety review?” the investor asked.

Musk, on multiple occasions, has touted the Robotaxi service as a service that would combine Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) with Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER). “How would insurance work with owning a Robotaxi fleet? Is Tesla going to take full responsibility?” an investor asked.

Another investor, who represented nearly 61,000 shares, asked: “When will private owners be able to buy Cybercabs and operate their own robotaxi fleets, and will it be available nationwide or limited to certain states?”

Full Self-Driving Updates?Many of the investors were curious about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, with multiple FSD-related questions being among the top-rated ones.

“Tesla has acknowledged that HW3 vehicles cannot support unsupervised FSD. When will owners know whether they can upgrade their hardware for free, and when will Tesla provide a clear plan?” an investor representing over 261,000 shares asked; the question received 205 votes.

“Can you provide an actual timeline for HW3 upgrades? Has work on this begun internally or are you waiting on HW5 to reach production to begin the technical work?” another investor representing over 161,000 Tesla shares asked, seeking clarity on self-driving tech.

“Mapping for FSD continues to be a problem,” an investor began. “The three biggest issues are recognizing proper speed limits, parking, and typical routes. I understand you use various third-party maps, but why not use your own maps?” the investor asked. “Authorize trusted/verified Tesla owners to provide input,” they said.

“Since HW3 cannot attain Full FSD as promised by Elon in April of 2019, how is Tesla going to compensate owners as purchase of FSD outright was never a prerequisite. Owners purchased a vehicle on promise of a capability never achieved,” an investor questioned.

Tesla’s Possible Robovan? Optimus Scale“Can Tesla offer a full size van for passengers and cargo soon, please?” an investor who represented over 174,000 shares asked. The question received 148 votes on the platform.

Investors also asked about Tesla’s plans and cost structure for the Optimus humanoid robot. “What’s the cost per Optimus unit, and what does the first paying customer look like?” an investor asked. “When do you anticipate Optimus will begin generating revenue?” another investor questioned.

Elon Musk Teases ‘Greatest’ Product DemoAmid the questions, Musk has hyped the Roadster yet again ahead of its debut on Thursday. Taking to social media, Musk said that the Roadster demo had the potential to become the “greatest product demo” of all time, further fueling speculation that the vehicle could possibly hover.

Price Action: TSLA shares were down 1.59% to $361.31 during pre-market trading on Thursday.

Read Next

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Rewind to 2019 when Tesla (TSLA -2.15%) broke ground on its Giga Shanghai. Musk made it pretty clear at the time the factory was to produce more affordable versions of the Model 3 and Y for China. Sometime later, Tesla's CEO added, "Affordable cars must be made on same continent as customers." Things haven't quite gone according to plan thanks to China's domestic automakers rapidly developing their electric vehicle (EV) technology and a brutal price war that has forced all automakers to go back to the drawing board. Despite the change of plans, Tesla's exports from China are surging, and it's absolutely the right move. But there are a couple of things for investors to know.

The right call, right?
Fast-forward to today. Tesla sold 381,088 vehicles in China through the first three quarters of 2026, a nearly 12% decline from the prior year, according to data from the CPCA. In a flip-flop of growth, however, Tesla's exports from Giga Shanghai have more than doubled to 361,972 vehicles, nearly matching its domestic sales in the country. Through September, Tesla's exports as a share of wholesale jumped 2,000 basis points, or 20 percentage points, to 49%. Thanks to growth in Tesla's exports, even amid the brutal domestic Chinese automotive market, Tesla China's total wholesale volume jumped nearly 23% to 743,060 compared to the prior year.

To be fair, while the explosive exports growth is just what the doctor ordered for Tesla in China, it's also the lowest domestic retail sales through the first nine months the EV maker has posted over the past four years. This also isn't just a Tesla problem, and the pain has been felt across the board with more and more Chinese brands racing to leave the market and expand overseas, especially as hybrids can avoid some of the tariffs Europe set for Chinese EVs.

Image source: Tesla.

Making things a little awkward for everyone involved is that Beijing recently announced it will cut the tax rebate on EV exports next year. China's Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration announced the export rebate on new energy vehicles (NEVs), which include full EVs as well as plug-in hybrids, will drop from 13% to 9% on April 1, 2027, essentially making every Tesla export 4% less valuable to the company. A rebate cut of 4% might not sound alarming, but it will either equate to Tesla eating hundreds of millions of dollars or passing on price increases to its destination market.

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

65/100

Today's Change

(

-2.15

%) $

-8.07

Current Price

$

367.16

What it all means
It might depend on whether you're a glass half-full investor or a glass half-empty investor. On one hand, Tesla has absolutely salvaged its Giga Shanghai production capacity and wholesale numbers. On the other hand, its actual business in China's market is still hurting. It's an important distinction for investors because while China's domestic auto market is in decline this year, it's also fair to say that Tesla is struggling to keep up with the accelerated vehicle launches by China's automakers, which have roughly halved the development time for a new vehicle.

For investors, this is what you can likely expect going forward. Because the rebate cut rate depends on the customs declaration date, it would make sense for Tesla to ship as many vehicles as possible from Giga Shanghai during the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2027. That should mean two more solid quarters of wholesale Tesla China numbers before the realization hits that the year-over-year comparisons will likely look ugly for a while, and Tesla will find itself in a tough spot between raising prices overseas where Chinese brands are already undercutting on price, reduce production capacity in China, which hurts profitability, or continue with the status quo and just eat the margin loss from the rebate cut.

Elon Musk has never been one to think small, and his latest ambition might be one of his boldest ideas yet. Tesla Inc. NASDAQ: TSLA, the electric-vehicle giant increasingly being pitched as an AI and robotics company, is no longer content to design its own chips. It now wants to build and run the factory that makes them.

Tesla Today

$365.65 -9.58 (-2.55%)

As of 03:38 PM Eastern

This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

$297.38▼

$498.83338.90

$412.33

The stock has been on a tear lately, up around 25% since the end of July to trade near $375, though it remains down about 19% in 2026 and, on the charts at least, still stuck in a downtrend. Investors clearly like the recent direction of travel, even if the longer-term picture looks far less settled.

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Musk first unveiled plans for Terafab, a massive AI chip manufacturing complex, in March. Earlier this month, he doubled down on the project, insisting that Tesla and SpaceX would build and operate the facility themselves rather than hand control to an established chipmaker like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. NYSE: TSM. With earnings due Oct. 21, the question is whether this is visionary vertical integration or an expensive distraction.

The Logic Behind Owning the FabStrip away the bravado, and there is real strategic logic here. By controlling chip design, fabrication, and packaging in-house, Tesla could tailor its silicon to its own needs, from Full Self-Driving (FSD) to its Cybertruck robotaxis and Optimus robots. The prize isn't merely cheaper chips, but chips optimized for Tesla’s software, power limits, and autonomous-driving workloads.

It fits the bigger story the bulls have told for a while: that Tesla is morphing from a carmaker into an AI-first business, with autonomy and robotics becoming the real profit engines. Owning the chip supply chain would hand it more control over that shift, and less dependence on outsiders.

A Very Different Kind of FactoryHere is the rub, however. Building cars, batteries, and robots is one thing; running an advanced semiconductor fab is entirely another, demanding expertise in process control, yield management, and clean-room manufacturing that Tesla doesn’t have today. Musk’s cheerful admission that he does not yet know how to make microchips is not a detail investors should wave away.

Then there’s the timeline. A fab has to be built, equipped, qualified, and painstakingly ramped before it reliably produces anything, a process more likely to be measured in years rather than quarters. Any slip would leave Tesla funding an enormous facility while still leaning on the very suppliers it set out to replace, the worst of both worlds. Musk has floated roles for partners to share the load, with Intel Corp NASDAQ: INTC named as a development partner and TSMC possibly subleasing part of the site.

All of this lands on top of an already steep capital-spending bill. While Tesla now expects to spend more than $25 billion this year, its largest ever, management has already conceded it may need additional funding to see the plans through. Add a chip-making factory, and that already heavy bill climbs even higher.

Priced for a Lot to Go RightThe bigger worry is what all this means for a stock that already prices in near-flawless execution. Even with the stock trending down since the start of the year, Tesla trades on a price-to-earnings ratio north of 300, which tells you just how much value the market is assigning to businesses that barely contribute to profit today.

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) Price Chart for Wednesday, October, 14, 2026

That leaves precious little room for disappointment, and Wall Street itself is split on whether the current price is a bargain or a stretch. A delayed or underused chip plant would not just be a costly misstep in isolation; it could be read as proof that Tesla’s whole AI and robotics timetable is slipping. For a stock priced on promises, perception matters almost as much as the numbers.

What That Means for Next Week’s ReportThat is what makes the upcoming earnings report so important. Beyond the usual focus on deliveries and margins, investors will be hunting for signs that Terafab is a disciplined bet rather than an open-ended one, with clarity on how much capital it will consume and which partners are truly committed, plus evidence that robotaxi and FSD economics are improving with or without a fab attached.

For all the obvious risks, betting against Musk’s ambition has rarely paid off for long, given how many of his longest shots eventually came good. But chipmaking is among the hardest games in technology, and with the stock already priced as if future success is guaranteed, Tesla has seldom needed to reassure investors more than it does in its upcoming release.

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