Today was a big day for electric vehicle giant Tesla (TSLA). The wins it posted today were both vital and oddly quiet, as its first Semi rolled off the production lines. Its Robotaxi systems are also gaining ground, a development that Tesla sorely needs to get up and running. Both of these points together were modest, but caught investors’ interest. Tesla shares were up modestly in Thursday afternoon’s trading.
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Trade TSLA with leverageThe first Semi truck off the high-volume line at Gigafactory Nevada represents a “critical milestone” for Tesla operations. This not only confirms the line is up and running, but also at volume, a crucial development to filling the orders that Tesla already has on hand for this system. The Tesla Semi was originally unveiled in 2017, and production limped along until Tesla could deliver a handful of units back in 2022.
But with Tesla now ready to produce Semis at scale, and the Semi poised to cost between $260,000 and $290,000 depending on the kind ordered, Tesla may have a serious winner on its hands at a time when it badly needs some cash infusions.
Robotaxi Firing Up
Meanwhile, the Robotaxi lineup of unsupervised autonomous vehicles also is showing signs of catching on, and that could be a real game-changer for Tesla. While Tesla has long had to hedge its autonomous ambitions with supervisory sops, new reports say the unsupervised operations are gaining ground as well.
New reports from the Robotaxi Tracker say the Robotaxi fleet is now 25 vehicles strong over three cities in Texas. Though this is nowhere near what Tesla originally saw coming, the fact that the fleet is actually growing is a good sign. Tesla now has 165 total active vehicles, though the Bay Area represents 107 of those. The fact that most of Tesla’s movement in unsupervised vehicles is recent growth also helps lend a hopeful note.
Is Tesla a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on TSLA stock based on 13 Buys, 12 Holds, and five Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 32.9% rally in its share price over the past year, the average TSLA price target of $410.21 per share implies 8.4% upside potential.
