Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, May 22, 2026

Tesla shares plunge 13 percent on growth concerns

Tesla shares plunge 13 percent on growth concerns

Once worth more than $1 trillion, Tesla lost more than 65 percent in 2022 and $60bn on Tuesday alone.

Tesla Inc shares started 2023 where they left off last year, plunging more than 13 percent on Tuesday on growing worries about weakening demand and logistical problems that have hampered deliveries for the world’s most valuable automaker.

Once worth more than $1 trillion, Tesla lost more than 65 percent in market value in a tumultuous 2022 that saw it increasingly challenged by other automakers and as it struggled to deal with production issues that hampered deliveries.

Tuesday’s slide knocked off more than $50bn in market value, roughly equal to the valuation of rival Ford Motor Co, which last year sold three times as many cars as Tesla.

The selloff came after Tesla missed market expectations for fourth-quarter deliveries despite shipping a record number of vehicles.

The company’s stock was the worst performer on the benchmark S&P 500 index on Tuesday as it fell to $106.50 a share. As of 18:00 GMT, it was the second most-traded stock on the United States exchanges, with nearly 142 million shares changing hands.

Several Wall Street analysts said they expected more pressure on the stock in coming months as it faces stiff competition from other automakers and weaker global demand.

At least four brokerages cut their price targets and earnings estimates on Tuesday, pointing to the deliveries miss and Tesla’s decision to offer more incentives to boost demand in China and the US, the two largest global auto markets.


Cracks in demand


“Demand overall is starting to crack a bit for Tesla, and the company will need to adjust and cut prices more especially in China, which remains the key to the growth story,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said.

Global automakers have in the past few months battled a demand downturn in China – the world’s top auto market, where the spread of 1COVID1-19 has hit economic growth and consumer spending.

Tesla is offering hefty discounts there as well as a subsidy for insurance costs.

The electric-vehicle maker’s performance in 2022 was among the worst on the S&P 500 index.

“You have so many things working against the stock. One obviously is Musk’s involvement in Twitter,” said Dennis Dick, market structure analyst and trader at Triple D Trading.

Tesla’s market value has declined by about $400bn since Chief Executive Elon Musk secured financing to buy social media firm Twitter.

Some of that drop has come from his share sale to fund the $44bn deal, while the stock also lost value due to worries among investors that Musk has been distracted by the social media company.

Worth about $332bn now, Tesla is still the world’s most valuable automaker, even though its production is a fraction of rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp.

Tesla delivered 405,278 vehicles in the fourth quarter, short of analysts’ estimates of 431,117. For all of 2022, its deliveries rose by 40 percent, missing Musk’s 50 percent annual target.

The result “came at the cost of higher incentives, suggesting lower pricing and margin”, brokerage JP Morgan said in a note, lowering its price target by $25 to $125.

The median price target of 41 analysts on the stock was $250, according to Refinitiv data, with the lowest price of $85 by Roth Capital Partners.

The shortfall highlighted the logistics hurdles facing a company that is known for its end-of-quarter delivery rush. The gap between production and deliveries has widened to 34,000 vehicles as more cars got stuck in transit.

The automaker also plans to run a reduced production schedule in January at its Shanghai plant, extending the lowered output it began in December into 2023, Reuters reported.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Strategic Saudi-Bahrain Causeway Closed Amid Security Concerns as Trump Deadline Approaches
Saudi Arabia Keeps Red Sea Oil Exports Flowing Despite Regional Tensions
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
Saudi Business Leader Abudawood Appointed Chairman of Merit Incentives Group
TotalEnergies Confirms Damage at Saudi Refinery Following Security Incident
Saudi Arabia Launches Early Construction Phase for King Salman Stadium Project
Saudi Shift Away from Longstanding Dollar Oil Framework Gains Attention Amid Iran Conflict
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Resolve Long-Running Transit Visa Dispute
Saudi Oil Capacity and Pipeline Flows Reduced as Supply Risks Intensify
TotalEnergies Reports Damage to Saudi SATORP Refinery Following Security Incidents
Gulf States Assess Prospects of U.S.-Iran Truce as Regional Stability Efforts Intensify
South Korea Resumes Honey Exports to Saudi Arabia Following Sanitary Approval
Saudi Arabia Carries Out Sentences in Eastern Province Following Security Convictions
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Backs King Street’s Regional Credit Strategy
Saudi Arabia Secures World Cup Return as Egypt Celebrates Landmark Qualification
Iran and Saudi Arabia Intensify Diplomatic Engagement Amid Regional Tensions
Russia and Saudi Arabia Open Visa-Free Travel Corridor for Citizens
Saudi Oil Output Capacity Reduced by 600,000 Barrels Per Day Amid Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Suspends Operations at Select Energy Sites as Precautionary Measure
Saudi Arabia Halts Operations at Multiple Energy Facilities Amid Heightened Tensions
Global Markets Jolt as Iran Signals Ceasefire Breakdown and Rising Regional Tensions
King Street Aligns with Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund to Expand Alternative Investments in Middle East
Attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Petrochemical Hub Raises Global Supply Concerns
Debate Emerges Over Saudi Strategic Decisions as Gulf Cooperation Council Dynamics Come Into Focus
Saudi Arabia Expands Full Workforce Localisation to 69 Professions in Major Labour Reform
Emerging Alliance of Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Signals New Regional Power Dynamic Amid Iran Conflict
Iran Linked to Strikes Across Gulf States Following Refinery Attack Escalation
Saudi Arabia Voices Concern Over Fragile US–Iran Ceasefire Stability
Starmer Warns Sustained Effort Needed to Ensure US–Iran Ceasefire Holds
Saudi Arabia’s Key East-West Oil Pipeline Targeted Following Ceasefire Announcement
Iran Targets Saudi Arabia’s East-West Oil Pipeline in Escalating Regional Tensions
Trump Warns of Civilizational Stakes as Iran Halts Negotiations
Saudi Companies Expand Remote Work Measures Ahead of Iran-Related Security Concerns
Iran Warns of Strikes on Saudi Energy Infrastructure if US Targets Its Facilities
Iran Urges Civilians to Form Human Shields Around Nuclear Sites as Diplomatic Deadline Approaches
Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Prices to Record Premiums Amid Supply Pressures Linked to Iran Conflict
Key Saudi-Bahrain Causeway Closed Amid Heightened Security Concerns Linked to Iran
Formula One Calendar Gap Explained as Fans Await Next Grand Prix
×