Wells Fargo is throwing in the towel on Tesla for now.
Analyst Colin Langan downgraded the electric vehicle maker to underweight from equal weight. He also cut his price target to $125 from $200. The new forecast implies downside of 29.5% from Tuesday’s close.
Shares fell 1.8% in the premarket following the downgrade.
“We see downside risk to volume as price cuts are having a diminishing impact. We see headwinds from disappointing deliveries & more price cuts, which likely drive negative EPS revisions,” Langan wrote.
“TSLA’s growth in core markets has moderated with EU & China flattish in the LTM & the US down since Q2. More concerning, the effect of price cuts are moderating with 2H volume up only 3% [half over half] despite pricing that’s down 5% h/h,” he added. “We expect volumes to be flat in 2024 & down in 2025. In the wake of [price] cuts are lower lease residuals, disgruntled customers & the possible loss of the luxury brand premium.”
Tesla shares have languished in 2024, losing more than 28% as demand for electric vehicles wanes. Last year, the stock surged more than 100%.