Wedbush analyst Dan Ives recently posted some insights about electric vehicle maker Tesla. The analyst’s comments were shared following Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s participation in a Twitter Spaces session, where he addressed his TSLA stock sales, among other topics.
Musk highlighted that while he has sold some of his TSLA holdings this year, he does not plan on selling any more stock for the next 18-24 months. “You have my commitment that I won’t sell any stock till at least two years from now. I won’t sell stock next year under any circumstances,” Musk said.
In his comments, Ives noted that if Musk was really serious about not selling any more TSLA — and if Tesla’s Board of Directors initiates a buyback and the EV maker posts a conservative guidance for 2023 — then TSLA stock has probably bottomed already. Tesla stock has dipped significantly this year, hitting $125.35 per share on Thursday’s close.
“We believe if Musk refocuses back on Tesla, truly stops selling stock (walk the walk, not just talk the talk), the Board initiates a buyback, and 2023 guidance is set conservative on its 4Q call in January then this stock has bottomed in our opinion and works from here,” Ives wrote.
The analyst also noted that for now, Wedbush believes that Tesla’s fourth quarter units will likely be in the 410,000-415,000 range, which would be below the Street’s whisper numbers, which are in the 435,000 range. As such, Ives adjusted his TSLA price target by 30%, from $250 to $175 per share. Ives still remains optimistic about Tesla overall, however, as he maintained his “Outperform” rating on the company.
“We believe 4Q delivery units are now likely in the 410k to 415k range down and below Street whisper numbers in the ~435k range. We maintain our OUTPERFORM rating, while lowering our price target from $250 to $175 reflecting our lowered estimates. Demand cracks given macro,” Ives wrote on Twitter.
Disclosure: I am long TSLA.
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