Summary
- Tesla experienced explosive gains last year.
- This year, the stock has struggled, but the company is on the right track.
- Better-than-anticipated production and deliveries data suggests the stock can push higher into year-end.
- I suspect Tesla has more upside, and the stock could hit $2,500 in future years.
I've been a Tesla(NASDAQ:TSLA)bull for a long time now. It's hard to believe, but the first time I purchased Tesla's stock was eight years ago when the share price was around a split-adjusted $30. Now, roughly 2,500% higher, I am still long Tesla and I think there is more upside in this stock. Tesla remains the leader in the ultra-lucrative EV space. The company arguably has the best products, powered by the most advanced technologies.
Additionally, Tesla has a unique set of competitive advantages that the company utilizes to stay ahead of its competition year after year. Tesla just put up stellar delivery and production numbers, will likely surpass analysts' expectations this quarter, and the company has enormous revenue and EPS growth potential as we advance. While we will not see Tesla shares gain another 2,500% from here any time soon, the stock can probably hit $1,000 by year-end or early next year. Moreover, Tesla shares could climb substantially higher over the next several years as well.
Technical Setup
Tesla had a stellar run-up in 2020 and into year-end last year. Then the stock experienced a significant correction of around 40% down to the $550 level. After this giant pullback, Tesla shares came back for a successful retest of the $550 level. Since then, the stock has been in a steady, concise, upward channel. The current move higher should continue until the bullish trend breaks. However, the bullish trend is robust and could power Tesla shares to $1,000 by the end of this year. Moreover, the company has numerous favorable fundamental factors to go along with the constructive technical setup right now.
Competitive Edge
Tesla continues to enjoy a multifaceted competitive advantage relative to its peers. Its approach to marketing, sales, software development, battery production, supercharging, design, development, and production provides Tesla with a significant edge relative to its competitors. Tesla designs and delivers everything from scratch, and the company remains ever focused on staying ahead of the curve innovation-wise in the EV space. However, most traditional automakers are still mainly focused on ICE vehicles and are still pivoting towards EVs. The bottom line is that the EV market is continuously gaining share over the conventional ICE market, and Tesla is the clear leader when it comes to EVs.
Global EV Market Share First Half of 2021
Deliveries Surge
Tesla just announced another record deliveries quarter of 241,300 vehiclesin Q3, a 20% increase over the last quarter and a remarkable 73% YoY surge. Tesla delivered a total of 9,275 Model S/X vehicles along with 232,025 mainstream Model 3/Y cars. Now, if we adjust for lease vehicles, we arrive at about 7,420 Model S/X vehicle sales and roughly 218,104 Model 3/Y vehicles sold in the third quarter.
Last quarter (Q2 2021), Tesla sold (leases excluded) a total of about 187,163 vehicles for $9.874 billion. This sales image suggests that the average selling price ("ASP") across all vehicles was roughly $53K. Tesla sold approximately 1,550 Model S/X vehicles in Q2. Thus, if we approximate an ASP of $100,000 - $110,000 for Model S/X vehicle sales, we are left with about $52,000 for the Model 3/Y segment.
Therefore, to get an approximate number for Tesla vehicle sales in Q3, we can use an ASP of $105,000 for the 7,420 Model S/X vehicles sold in the quarter, and we can use the $52,000 ASP for the 218,104 Model 3/Y cars delivered in Q3. This estimate gives us an approximate $800 million in Model S/X sales and $11.34 billion in Model 3/Y sales.
Q3 Earnings Outlook
Analysts Estimates:
Last quarter, Tesla delivered $1.45 in EPS, beating consensus analysts' forecasts by about $0.47 or 48%. The company announced revenues of $11.96 billion, beating estimates by $559.33 million simultaneously. Now for Q3, consensus estimates are for EPS of $1.47 and revenues of $13.49 billion. However, I think Tesla will beat these figures as well.
My Estimates:
Instead of the $13.49 billion revenues figure, I am looking for $14.74 billion in revenues, about a 9% increase over consensus expectations. Moreover, I think we can see about $1.85 in non-GAAP EPS out of Tesla in Q3, roughly 26% better than the current consensus figures imply. If Tesla makes good on its notably better-than-expected Q3 results, the stock will have a strong catalyst for a rally into year-end.
Bright Future Ahead for Tesla
Estimates are moving up for Tesla. There have been 26 upward revisions relative to just one downward (FY2021) revision over the last 90 days. Still, estimates could continue to move higher.
First, I want to draw your attention to the number of beats in recent quarters. Sure, Tesla's earnings remain somewhat volatile, but it's difficult to deny the better-than-anticipated earnings growth of late. Consensus estimates were for $3.61 in EPS for the last four quarters. Yet, the company's actual EPS numbers came in at $3.94, an average beat of around 9% over consensus estimates. We already see estimates that are substantial increases on a YoY basis, but I think that results can continue to come in stronger than anticipated (by about 10-20%) as we advance.
We see expectations for significant EPS and revenue gains in future years for Tesla. While the stock may seem relatively expensive right now, shares should become increasingly less costly as EPS surge in coming years.
Here is what Tesla's EPS, P/E ratio, and share price could look like in future years.
The Bottom Line
Tesla's steady and robust EPS growth trend should continue, and I expect the company's share price could reach $2,500 or higher by the end of the decade. Now, some market participants could argue that these stock price projections are optimistic. However, I think that these projections may be relatively modest. First, the company could deliver higher EPS than I anticipate in future years, and second, Tesla's P/E ratio could remain elevated for longer.
Due to Tesla's unique growth dynamic, the only company that can compare to Tesla is Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN), in my view. Amazon's current valuation is what a more mature Tesla valuation could become. Incidentally, Amazon currently trades at about 58 times EPS, exactly where I have my 2029 Tesla P/E ratio pegged. Also, the projected stock price appreciation is only 220% from current levels, which is relatively modest if we consider the number of years.
Risks to Tesla's $2,500 Price Target
Of course, when you are talking about Tesla, there are risks to consider. While I estimate that the company can earn close to $50 per share by 2030, the company is very far from such figures right now. Therefore, there is the risk that Tesla will not illustrate the kind of earnings growth I envision. A slowdown in demand, increased competition, supply issues, decreased growth, and other variables are all risks we should consider before betting on Tesla to increase EPS nearly tenfold by 2030. Serious concerns could cause Tesla's valuation to lose altitude, and the company's share price could even head in reverse if any serious issues should arise. Therefore, I believe one should consider the risks carefully before committing any capital to a Tesla investment.
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