Gary Zhou 
Tesla shares (NASDAQ:TSLA) rose on Monday amid reports that Credit Suisse had turned bullish on the electric vehicle maker. As per Credit Suisse analyst Dan Levy, the recent TSLA selloff in the market has created what could very well be described as an attractive level for investors to buy in, especially considering the “highly favorable” fundamentals of the company.
Levy had previously given a “Neutral” rating to Tesla, which he has kept since April 2020. But with his recent note, the analyst raised his rating to “Outperform.” His price target for the electric vehicle maker was maintained at $1,025 per share, which suggests an upside of over 20% for TSLA stock.
Explaining further, Levy noted that the stock market’s weakness over the past month has been “disproportionately” punishing growth stocks. And Tesla, being one of the market’s most noted growth stocks, took heavy blows. The Credit Suisse analyst did highlight that Tesla stock had fallen enough that an entry point has emerged for investors to buy into the company.
“Tesla is a 1 of 1: we are hard-pressed to find a stock that checks all the boxes as Tesla does — attractive growth story (both top-line and EPS), disruption, decarbonization, etc. Accordingly, with robust fundamentals ahead and with the stock having been caught in the market decline, we believe the stock should recover. We upgrade to Outperform and maintain our $1,025 TP,” Levy wrote in a note to clients.
Tesla’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 results were well above analyst expectations. But while the company’s financials were stronger than ever, TSLA shares took a dive following Elon Musk’s announcement that Tesla would not be introducing any new vehicle models this year. This suggested that projects like the Cybertruck, Semi, and the Roadster — of which are already delayed — were pushed back once more. Tesla also highlighted that despite its growth, its vehicle output was still facing headwinds from the supply chain crisis.
The Credit Suisse analyst, for his part, maintained that Tesla should have an advantage even under the current circumstances. “With less question around demand and much more question around supply of EVs, Tesla should be a key beneficiary — it has a product lead vs others, and has taken the most holistic approach in EV supply. Not only does Tesla not have to tackle the challenges that legacy [original equipment manufacturers] must address (margin dilution, manufacturing transition, distribution), but Tesla also has leads in supply/vertical integration, software, product simplicity, and capital availability,” Levy wrote.
