Thursday, November 28, 2013

Bulls and Bears Still Debate Tesla Motors

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, offering millions a day off from work. But Wall Street is still vigorously debating whether Tesla Motors (TSLA) is a bargain or a bad buy.

At $125.91, the shares have dropped 36% off its recent high of $194.50.

Still, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst John Lovallo told investors today that shares remain overvalued even after the sell-off. He argues that the company would need to produce 348,000 vehicles a year by 2020 to justify the current valuation.  

Lovallo reiterated his Underperform rating and $45 price target, which suggests a 64% downside.

Deutsche Bank analyst Dan Galves, however, says the sell-off has created a favorable entry point.  He writes:

We are reiterating our Buy recommendation on Tesla as we see a series of positive catalysts over the next several months that could lead to renewed confidence in the company’s earnings trajectory. These include: 1) A favorable resolution of the NHTSA investigation; 2) Initial news on (what we believe will be very strong) China order flows; 3) Increased visibility on an accelerating order/production ramp, and; 4) Further gross margin improvement and operating expense leverage (which may be significantly better than consensus).

Galves maintained his Buy rating and a $200 price target.

Today, the bulls seem to have won out as Tesla's share price rose almost 4.5% in afternoon market action.

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