Activists have smeared the facade of the Tesla store in Berlin-Reinickendorf with blue paint in March (Carsten Koall/Getty Images)
Investors have a lot of questions about Tesla’s timelines and tariffs.
Rani Molla
4h
Tesla reports its first-quarter earnings after the bell tomorrow and investors have a lot of questions about the future of the company, which has been among the worst-performing in the S&P 500 this year.
The FactSet analyst consensus estimates call for earnings per share of $0.41 and revenue of $21.345 billion, up slightly from the $21.301 Tesla reported in Q1 of last year. Both of those estimates have been trending downward since the start of the year, as delivery numbers released earlier this month came in way worse than expected and as the brand’s popularity sank to new lows. Meanwhile, the stock is down more than 40% this year and more than 7% just today.
As Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has written, Tesla is going to have to make a lot of major changes —including CEO Elon Musk stepping down from his position at the Department of Government Efficiency — to turn things around.
Based on a survey of the most upvoted questions shareholders posted on the company’s investor relations website, Tesla investors are very concerned with the company’s timelines —something it’s been notoriously bad about — for promised products like affordable models, full self-driving, and the robotaxi. They’re also worried about how tariffs and political brand damage might affect the company’s future.
Here are some of the top questions on investors’ minds, listed by the number of upvotes on the Tesla investor relations site, and what we know so far about those topics:
Question: Is Tesla still on track for releasing “more affordable models” this year?
What we know: Reuters reported over the weekend that Tesla’s lower-cost, stripped-down Model Y, which was supposed to roll out in the first half of this year, is delayed “at least several months.”
Question: When will unsupervised full self-driving be available for personal use on personally owned cars?
What we know: Musk has been promising unsupervised FSD “next year” for at least the last five years. Musk in January said the technology was “limited simply by regulatory issues, not technical capability.”
“I’m very confident we have released unsupervised Full Self-Driving, fully autonomous Teslas in Austin and several other cities in America by the end of this year, as probably everywhere in America next year, at everywhere in North America at least.”
For now it seems that full self-driving will be confined to a Tesla-owned fleet of vehicles in Austin, not to personal vehicles. Musk has said this would start in June.
Question: How is Tesla positioning itself to flexibly adapt to global economic risks in the form of tariffs?
What we know: Because Tesla assembles its US-sold cars in the US, it’s insulated compared to other carmakers that finish their cars outside the US. That said, Tesla is heavily reliant on parts shipped from abroad, so its prices and bottom line could certainly be negatively affected by auto parts tariffs that go into effect next month; Musk and other Tesla execs have said as much.
Recently, Tesla suspended shipments of Cybercab and Semi parts from China because the tariffs were so onerous.
Question: Is the Robotaxi still on track for this year?
What we know: As far as we know, Tesla is still on track to roll out paid Cybercab rides in Austin in June (Google’s Waymo beat Tesla on that count), but we’ll believe it when we see it.
Recently, The Information reported that internal analysis from Tesla suggests the self-driving taxis might never be profitable.
Question: Did Tesla experience any meaningful changes in order inflow rate in Q1 relating to all the rumors of “brand damage”?
What we know: Tesla’s sales in Q1 saw the biggest drop ever and many analysts said brand damage related to Musk’s role in the government as well as the ensuing protests were at least partly to blame. Tesla bull Ives said brand damage from DOGE could create “15%-20% permanent demand destruction.” Indeed, surveys from YouGov found that while most Americans were aware of Tesla, they wouldn’t buy one — people interested in EVs would be much more likely to go for a Toyota or Honda.
Regarding DOGE, Musk himself said, “It’s costing me a lot to be in this job.”
And Tesla’s Cybertruck seems like it’s been especially difficult to sell. Just take a look at all of them stashed outside Tesla’s Texas production plant.
More Tech
See all Tech
Rani Molla
9h
We’re going to have to wait some more for Tesla’s long-awaited lower-cost Model Y, Reuters reports, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter. The stripped-down version will be delayed “at least several months,” they said.
Shares of the company fell 5.2% in trading just after the opening bell.
After scrapping a new low-cost model last year — apparently in exchange for the company’s driverless Cybercab — Tesla hedged and reiterated earlier this year it would offer lower-cost versions of existing models in the “first half of 2025.” The delay of course is very typical of Tesla, whose timelines are frequently wildly wrong.
Tesla now aims to produce 250,000 of the cheaper Model Ys in US in 2026, the sources report. For reference, it sold about 372,000 of the more expensive Model Ys in the US last year, according to Cox Automotive.
We’ll see!
After scrapping a new low-cost model last year — apparently in exchange for the company’s driverless Cybercab — Tesla hedged and reiterated earlier this year it would offer lower-cost versions of existing models in the “first half of 2025.” The delay of course is very typical of Tesla, whose timelines are frequently wildly wrong.
Tesla now aims to produce 250,000 of the cheaper Model Ys in US in 2026, the sources report. For reference, it sold about 372,000 of the more expensive Model Ys in the US last year, according to Cox Automotive.
We’ll see!
Rani Molla
10h
Netflix’s earnings beat last week seems to have cemented analysts’ view that the company is a good hedge against a bad economy.
JPMorgan analysts raised their Netflix price target to $1,150, citing a “stable operating environment w/no indications of macro impact.” Wells Fargo raised its price target to $1,222, saying, “We think NFLX has substantially higher relative appeal in this uncertain macro.”
Bank of America reiterated its $1,175 price target and raised its revenue estimates for 2025 and 2026, writing, “The company remains very well positioned in the Media and Entertainment landscape with sustainable growth drivers that should prove to be predictable and defensive amid a wide range of macroeconomic scenarios.” Goldman Sachs, Evercore ISI, Morgan Stanley, and Piper Sandler also raised price targets, CNBC reports.
Netflix, for what it’s worth, seems to agree. On the company’s earnings call last week, Co-CEO Gregory Peters said:
“We’re paying close attention clearly to the consumer sentiment and where the broader economy is moving. But based on what we are seeing by actually operating the business right now, there’s nothing really significant to note.
So what are we looking at? Primary metrics and indicators would be our retention, that’s stable and strong. We haven’t seen any significant changes in plan mix or planned take rate to part of that question. Our most recent price changes have been in line with expectations. Engagement remains strong and healthy. So things generally look stable from that lens. Stepping back, we also take some comfort in the fact that entertainment historically has been pretty resilient in tougher economic times.
Netflix specifically also has been generally quite resilient, and we haven’t seen any major impacts during those tougher times, albeit, of course, over a much shorter history.”
Read more
Bank of America reiterated its $1,175 price target and raised its revenue estimates for 2025 and 2026, writing, “The company remains very well positioned in the Media and Entertainment landscape with sustainable growth drivers that should prove to be predictable and defensive amid a wide range of macroeconomic scenarios.” Goldman Sachs, Evercore ISI, Morgan Stanley, and Piper Sandler also raised price targets, CNBC reports.
Netflix, for what it’s worth, seems to agree. On the company’s earnings call last week, Co-CEO Gregory Peters said:
“We’re paying close attention clearly to the consumer sentiment and where the broader economy is moving. But based on what we are seeing by actually operating the business right now, there’s nothing really significant to note.
So what are we looking at? Primary metrics and indicators would be our retention, that’s stable and strong. We haven’t seen any significant changes in plan mix or planned take rate to part of that question. Our most recent price changes have been in line with expectations. Engagement remains strong and healthy. So things generally look stable from that lens. Stepping back, we also take some comfort in the fact that entertainment historically has been pretty resilient in tougher economic times.
Netflix specifically also has been generally quite resilient, and we haven’t seen any major impacts during those tougher times, albeit, of course, over a much shorter history.”
Read more
Rani Molla
11h
Elon Musk has got to go... back to Tesla full time and leave the government, says Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. That means stepping back from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency before the dents done to Musk’s electric car company become a full-on wreck.
“...if Musk leaves the White House there will be permanent brand damage... but Tesla will have its most important asset and strategic thinker back as full time CEO to drive the vision and the long term story will not be altered,” the Tesla bull wrote in a note Sunday, ahead of the EV company’s earnings call this week. “IF Musk chooses to stay with the Trump White House it could change the future of Tesla/brand damage will grow.”
Already, Ives blames Musk’s role at DOGE for making Tesla a “political symbol globally of the Trump Administration/DOGE,” which has played a role in crushing the stock and causing a “terrible 1Q delivery number with much lower 2025 deliveries on the horizon,” potentially creating “15%-20% permanent demand destruction for future Tesla buyers.”
Don’t believe him? Check out these satellite images with rows and rows of the giant stainless steel Cybertrucks languishing outside their factory in Texas.
Rani Molla
4/17/25
Netflix rose in after-hours market trading after beating analyst expectations, with earnings per share of $6.61 versus the FactSet consensus estimate of $5.67 and quarterly revenue of $10.543 billion compared to the $10.5 billion analysts estimated.
Last quarter Netflix added a record number of subscribers, but it’s no longer reporting those numbers. Apparently the company didn’t hit a “major subscriber milestone,” as it said it would announce those as it crossed them.
Netflix previously said it would instead focus on user time spent and financial metrics — mainly operating margin and revenue. Its operating margin was 32% compared with 28.1% last year, and its revenue was up 13%.
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix has the goal of reaching a $1 trillion market cap (it’s currently worth less than half that) and doubling its revenue (which was $39 billion last year) by 2030.
Netflix has been considered a relatively safe pick amid a tariff-fueled market rout that has roiled tech and media companies alike. As Bank of America noted today, Netflix’s “strong subscription model with critical entertainment” is one that “historically has performed well in a recession.” Earlier today, Netflix was up about 9% on the year.
Latest Stories
Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.
- Privacy Notice
- Disclosures
- Terms and Conditions
- Editorial Standards
- Masthead
- Your Privacy Choices
- Advertising Disclaimers
©
2025
Sherwood Media, LLC
