Key Takeaways
- Tesla shares reversed course and edged lower Tuesday, continuing recent declines ahead of its fourth-quarter delivery report.
- Analysts expect the EV maker to report a record number of deliveries in the fourth quarter on Thursday, but the full-year total likely won’t meet Tesla’s forecast.
- Still, shares of Tesla have surged since Election Day on anticipation the policies of the new Trump administration will favor the company.
Tesla (TSLA) shares reversed course and edged lower Tuesday, continuing recent declines ahead of its fourth-quarter delivery report.
The company is set to report Q4 deliveries on Thursday, and analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha are expecting a record total of 512,250, although that would not be enough to bring the full-year total up to Tesla’s forecast. In its third-quarter earnings report, Tesla said that “despite ongoing macroeconomic conditions,” it anticipated deliveries of slightly more than last year’s 1.81 million.
Tesla is also facing questions about how the company will fare under the new Trump administration. The incoming president has promised to slash regulations and provide federal guidelines for autonomous vehicles, which would be a big boost for Tesla’s robotaxi plans. However, President-elect Trump also is expected to end tax credits for EV purchases.
In addition, it’s unclear how much time CEO Elon Musk will dedicate to the automaker after being named by Trump to co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Despite losing 10% of their value over the previous three sessions, Tesla shares have largely benefited from the presidential election outcome, adding about two-thirds of their value since Election Day.