Die-hard Tesla investors might be forgiven for wondering why the thrill of owning the iconic car maker’s stock has seemingly disappeared.
After all, since catapulting over 700 per cent last year, the shares have barely eked out a 3.4 per cent advance in 2021. Meme stocks like GameStop have pushed Tesla out of the limelight, while Bitcoin has attracted almost all the buzz.
But the electric-vehicle juggernaut’s first-quarter results on Monday might be just the thing to change all that.
Since reporting surprisingly strong deliveries for the first three months of the year, expectations are running high. And Tesla also needs to convince investors it can hold onto its lead in the EV market in an increasingly crowded playing field. As a result, traders are pricing in a jolt to the shares. Options pricing suggests Tesla’s stock may fluctuate 7.2 per cent in either direction, which would be the largest post-earnings move since January last year.
“We acknowledge Tesla has shaken up the auto industry, but recent commitments and advancements from incumbent auto makers such as Volkswagen and General Motors suggest to us that Tesla has achieved peak market share within the EV category,” Jeffrey Osborne, an analyst at Cowen, wrote in a note earlier this month.
Legacy auto makers in the US and Europe have announced ambitious plans this year to enter the EV race, ranging from everyday sedans to SUVs and luxury supercars. And while billionaire Elon Musk’s company has a significant edge over its competitors in terms of technology, software and brand awareness, its position could start to erode fast as more rivals join the fray.
“Tesla sees itself as the apex player during the most formative phase of the industrialisation of sustainable propulsion and transition off of fossil fuels,” Adam Jonas, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, wrote in a note on Thursday. He added the company would need to address issues surrounding sustainably sourced battery manufacturing and supply chain.
The immediate priority is to expand capacity and begin “industrialising the ‘Tesla hegemony’ before the market gets even more crowded”, Mr Jonas wrote.
Investors will also be eager to get more details on Tesla’s plants in Germany and Austin, Texas, as well as any clues on how demand for its cars is shaping up this year. Tesla has not provided a delivery target for 2021, although it has hinted at a range of about 750,000 units.
There’s also the risk that as more traditional auto makers produce EVs, they’ll need to buy fewer regulatory credits from Tesla to stay compliant with emissions rules. That could eat into a source of Tesla’s revenue, which, while small, has tended to disproportionately bolster profits since there are no costs associated with them.
“Even in its first profitable year of 2020, adjusted pre-tax income was less than the earnings from selling credits to auto makers that can’t build pickups and SUVs fast enough,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Tynan said. “The irony is that despite all the EV hype, legacy auto makers are making so much money from selling internal combustion pickup trucks and SUVs that it has made Tesla look profitable.”
Overarching issues aside, the recent fatal crash of a Model S car in Texas is also bound to get some airtime on the earnings call, as analysts try to dissect why the accident happened and whether the company’s driver assistance system, called AutoPilot, was involved in any way.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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3%20Body%20Problem
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
More coverage from the Future Forum
Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Racecard
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Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
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