🚗 $TSLA Earnings Preview: Record Deliveries vs. Margin Math — Can It Beat? Structured with the community PICK checklist/templates.

• Event: Tesla reports Q3 FY2025 after the close on Oct‑22.

• Street setup: Revenue around $26.16B (+4% YoY); adj. net income ~$1.89B (‑24% YoY) — pricing pressure keeps the spotlight on margins.

• Tape history (last 8 quarters): average first‑day move ~+10.5%, best +21.9%, worst ‑12.3%; ~50/50 odds of a green day right after earnings.

• Key debate: “record deliveries” vs. automotive gross margin ex‑credits and the Energy mix — which narrative dominates?

• My base case: in‑line revenue with stable or slightly better ex‑credit auto GM and strong Energy growth → muted move (‑3% ~ +3%); beats with constructive margin/color push the reaction toward the upper end of the historical range.

What’s happening (facts & setup)

• Catalyst: Q3 FY2025 results and outlook call.

• Consensus guardrails (approx.):

• Revenue: ~$26.16B (+4% YoY).

• Adj. net income: ~$1.89B (‑24% YoY).

• Positioning context: Over the past eight quarters, Tesla’s day‑after reaction averaged ~+10.5%, with extremes of +21.9% / ‑12.3% and a ~50% chance of closing up the next day. Use as historical color, not a predictor.

• Narrative tension: Headlines emphasize record deliveries, but the stock’s near‑term path usually keys off price/ASP, unit mix, ex‑credit margins, and guide/tone more than deliveries alone.

Why it matters (the P&L chain)

• Price cuts vs. volume: Higher deliveries help fixed‑cost absorption, but ASP pressure can blunt the benefit. The market will anchor on automotive gross margin ex‑credits as the cleanest margin tell.

• Energy & Services as shock absorbers: Rapid growth in Energy generation & storage (higher gross margin potential) can offset auto margin compression at the company level. Watch segment revenue, Megapack deployments, and segment GM.

• Software/Deferred revenue: FSD recognition/take‑rate and any changes in deferred revenue pace influence both revenue quality and gross margin mix.

• Capex & efficiency: Updates on 4680 yields, factory utilization (TX/Shanghai/Mexico), and opex discipline inform FY25–26 margin glide paths more than the single‑quarter print.

• Multiple sensitivity: With Tesla’s premium multiple tied to an AI/robotaxi optionality layer, timeline/tangible milestones (e.g., fleet data, safety metrics, regulatory path) remain critical to keep multiple support intact.

How to frame it (scenarios & triggers)

Define a few objective thresholds to interpret the print quickly:

1. Beat & Constructive Guide (Bullish reaction more likely):

• Revenue ≥ $26.6B, auto GM ex‑credits improves sequentially or holds despite ASP pressure,

• Energy accelerates with healthy GM,

• Clearer software monetization/robotaxi milestones, and

• FY guide/tone confident on margins/unit profitability. Illustrative reaction range: pushes toward +8% to +15%, consistent with the top half of historical swings.

• In‑Line & Stabilizing Margins (Base case):

• Revenue ~$26.0–$26.4B, auto GM ex‑credits stable,

• Energy solid but not enough to lift consolidated GM,

• Guide balanced, focus on execution. Illustrative reaction: ‑3% to +3% (noise‑band).

• Miss & Margin Deterioration (Bear case):

• Revenue < $26.0B and auto GM ex‑credits steps down,

• Energy growth underwhelms,

• Guide cautious on pricing/mix or delays on product/milestones. Illustrative reaction: ‑8% to ‑12%, in line with prior downside extremes.

Ranges are for orientation using recent history; they are not forecasts or advice.

KPI Watchlist (clipboard for the call)

• Automotive GM ex‑credits (headline margin tell).

• ASP & mix (Model 3/Y vs. higher‑margin variants).

• Energy segment: revenue, deployments, and segment GM.

• FSD metrics: take‑rate, deferred revenue movements, any new recognition mechanics.

• Opex/Capex discipline and 4680 yield/utilization progress.

• Cash flow and working capital dynamics (inventory turns).

Risks & “what could go wrong”

• Pricing pressure in key markets (U.S., Europe, China) outpacing cost downs.

• Competitive intensity from global EV peers.

• Execution on battery ramp and manufacturing efficiency.

• Regulatory/Autonomy timeline slippage affecting the “optionality” multiple.

• Macro (rates/FX) feeding through financing affordability and demand elasticity.

My take (one line)

If margins demonstrate stabilization and Energy keeps compounding, the delivery narrative can translate into a constructive setup; if not, the print risks being another “more volume, less profit” quarter.

Join the discussion

1. Which single KPI will decide the stock’s first move for you: auto GM ex‑credits or Energy GM?

2. Does software/robotaxi need a tangible milestone this quarter to defend the multiple?

Tags: #EarningsSeason #EVs #AutonomousDriving · $特斯拉(TSLA)$

Disclosure: No position in TSLA at the time of posting. This content is for discussion and education only and not investment advice.