Tesla (TSLA) shares tumbled Thursday following a quarterly earnings report and a conference call with Chief Executive Elon Musk that one analyst described as "the most unusual call that I have experienced in 20 years."
XTesla also reiterated its plans to achieve positive net income in the third and fourth quarters.
Shares tumbled 5.5% to close at 284.45 on the stock market today. The company reported first-quarter earnings late Wednesday that beat on the top and bottom lines. The report contained various other positive aspects related to progress on the all-important Model 3.
As the report came out, after-hours trading on Tesla stock Wednesday fluctuated mildly. The stock traded within a point in either direction. But things turned ugly during the conference call. Musk appeared irked by questions, calling them "boring" at one point.
"Tesla's analyst conference call was arguably the most unusual call I have experienced in 20 years on the sell-side," Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a note to clients. "Many investors we spoke with (after) the call agree."
Bizarre And Surreal
Cowen analyst Jeffrey Osborne referred to the Musk call as "bizarre" and "surreal."
"A surreal earnings call leaves us with many unanswered questions," Osborne wrote. "Following a bizarre first-quarter earnings call, we continue to have concerns over Tesla's ability to achieve its free cash flow and GAAP profitability goals."
Osborne went on to say: "Tesla's earnings calls have always been one of the best free sources of entertainment out there, but this one was the over (the) top. In one of the most bizarre earnings calls we have ever heard, Tesla refused to address analyst questions on capex, cash burn and other 'boring, bonehead questions' while providing commentary on 'barnacle'-like third-party contractors and anecdotes on an ineffectual 'flufferbot'."
As had been planned in advance, Musk was to take a call from a 25-year-old Tesla enthusiast via YouTube.
"We're going to go to YouTube," Musk said on the call, according to the transcript. "Sorry. These questions are so dry. They're killing me."
Musk was expected to take one question from the YouTuber. Instead, he stayed with the inquisitor for more than 20 minutes.
Going Into The Black?
Tesla maintained that if it executes according to plans, it should operate in the black in the last half of the year. That excludes noncash stock-based compensation. The company said it expects to achieve "full GAAP profitability" in each of the third and fourth quarters.
Tesla said it remains on course to not raise capital this year, and be cash-flow positive at some point in the second half. Revenue rose 26% from the year-ago quarter, with an adjusted loss of $3.35 per share, both beating estimates.
The company said it produced 2,270 Model 3 sedans in the last week of April. That represented its third straight week of producing 2,000-plus Model 3s, the company said.
In its earnings report, Tesla said it expects to start producing 5,000 Model 3s a week in "about two months." The company says it will thus be able to grow Model 3 gross margins from "slightly negative" in the first quarter to "highly positive" in the third and fourth quarters.
Lacking Answers
Still, the earnings call left analysts taken aback. RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak said in his research note said it was an odd conference call. He added it lacked answers to questions on investors' minds and overshadowed earnings.
"The call was going somewhat normally until an analyst question about capital requirements was dismissed as a 'boring bonehead' question," Spak wrote.
"We then, apparently touched a nerve, by asking about how many who have been invited to configure a Model 3 have taken the steps to do so," Spak said. "This was dismissed as dry, and then Elon stated 'we're going to go to YouTube' and proceeded to take at least 10 questions from a financial blogger, who to be fair had some good but very big picture questions."
Spak lowered his price target on Tesla to 280 from 305.
"The conference call was very, very bad," wrote KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Brad Erickson in a research note. "The CEO's handling of the conference call where analyst questions were dismissed as 'dry' and 'not cool' was unlike anything we've ever seen or even heard of from a public company."
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The post Tesla Stock Drops After 'Bizarre' Earnings Call Stuns Analysts appeared first on Investor's Business Daily.
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