Tesla Analyst Turns Bearish, Sets $150 Price Target
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 23 2026
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Should l Buy TSLA?
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Sell Recommendation Issued: Analyst Trip Chowdhry has issued a sell recommendation for Tesla, setting a price target of $150 for 2026, warning that the electric vehicle maker's AI narrative has collapsed, reflecting strong pessimism about the company's future prospects.
- Stock Price Decline: Tesla shares closed at $367.96 on Friday, marking an 18% decline year-to-date, a trend that may exacerbate investor concerns, especially against the backdrop of increasing skepticism about the company's valuation.
- Delivery Estimates Cut: UBS analyst Joseph Spak has lowered Q1 2026 delivery estimates to 345,000 vehicles, an 18% drop from Q4 2025's 421,000, indicating a weakening market confidence in Tesla's future demand.
- Growing Analyst Disagreement: The gap between bearish analysts like Chowdhry at $150 and bullish ones like Wedbush at $600 highlights unprecedented disagreement, with Tesla's ability to demonstrate measurable AI revenue and autonomous vehicle progress being critical to determining its stock price direction.
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Analyst Views on TSLA
Wall Street analysts forecast TSLA stock price to rise
30 Analyst Rating
12 Buy
11 Hold
7 Sell
Hold
Current: 400.620
Low
25.28
Averages
401.93
High
600.00
Current: 400.620
Low
25.28
Averages
401.93
High
600.00
About TSLA
Tesla, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, sells and leases high-performance fully electric vehicles and energy generation and storage systems, and offers services related to its products. Its segments include automotive, and energy generation and storage. The automotive segment includes the design, development, manufacturing, sales and leasing of high-performance fully electric vehicles, and sales of automotive regulatory credits. It also includes sales of used vehicles, non-warranty maintenance services and collisions, part sales, paid supercharging, insurance services revenue and retail merchandise sales. The energy generation and storage segment include the design, manufacture, installation, sales and leasing of solar energy generation and energy storage products and related services and sales of solar energy systems incentives. Its consumer vehicles include the Model 3, Y, S, X and Cybertruck. Its lithium-ion battery energy storage products include Powerwall and Megapack.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Increased Cash Burn: Tesla's capital expenditures are projected to exceed $19 billion this year, more than doubling from $9 billion last year, leading to a cash burn of $4.9 billion, which could negatively impact the company's short-term financial health.
- Widening Delivery and Production Gap: Tesla delivered 358,023 vehicles in Q1, showing year-over-year growth, but produced 408,386 vehicles, resulting in a delivery-production gap of over 50,000 units, indicating pressure on demand absorption that investors will closely monitor.
- Shift in Future Investment Focus: Tesla plans to direct most of its investments towards Cybercab production lines and Optimus robots rather than traditional EV models, with CEO Elon Musk stating that 2026 will be a “big capex year,” indicating the company's preparation for future technological transformations.
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- Cash Flow Situation: The company is projected to report a negative cash flow of $1.44 billion this quarter, highlighting ongoing financial pressures as it transitions towards robotics and self-driving technologies.
- Storage Deployment Trends: In Q1 2026, Tesla's energy storage deployments reached 8.8 gigawatt-hours, down 15% year-over-year; however, revenue is anticipated to rise as the company focuses on selling more profitable products.
- Market Competition Pressure: Analysts note that while growth in the energy sector is likely to remain strong, profit margins may come under pressure due to pricing competition and delays in passing on higher tariff costs, raising concerns among investors.
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- Future of Blockchain: Draper believes Bitcoin and its blockchain technology will lead economic transformation by reducing intermediaries and enhancing transaction efficiency, emphasizing the critical role of blockchain in the future economy.
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- Earnings Forecast Downgrade: Jefferies projects Tesla's Q1 revenue at approximately $21.2 billion, with a core automotive gross margin near 15.5% and an operating margin below 3%, reflecting increasing capital expenditures and widening delivery gaps.
- Brand Image Damage: Gerber emphasized that Tesla's brand perception is suffering, as consumer disdain could hinder its competitiveness in the autonomous mobility services market, especially against platforms like Alphabet, Uber, and Lyft.
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- Future of Blockchain: Draper emphasizes the potential of blockchain technology to enhance economic processes by reducing the need for intermediaries, and while Bitcoin faces competition from technically superior blockchains, its finite supply of 21 million coins still provides unique investment value.
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