Li Auto Approves Share Repurchase Program Up to $1 Billion
Institutional investors and professional traders rely on The Fly to keep up-to-the-second on breaking news in the electric vehicle and clean energy space, as well as which stocks in these sectors that the best analysts on Wall Street are saying to buy and sell.From the hotly-debated high-flier Tesla, Wall Street's newest darling Rivian, traditional-stalwarts turned EV-upstarts GMand Fordto the numerous SPAC-deal makers that have come public in this red-hot space, The Fly has you covered with "Charged," a weekly recap of the top stories and expert calls in the sector.Clickto check out Tesla's recent Media Buzz Sentiment as measured by TipRanks.Q1 DELIVERY ESTIMATE:Last week, Tesla published a company-compiled delivery consensus of sell-side analysts. Tesla said it "does not endorse any information, recommendations or conclusions made by the analysts." Consensus for total deliveries for 2026 is 1.69M vehicles, 2027 is 1.88M vehicles, 2028 is 2.13M vehicles, 2029 is 2.61M vehicles, and 2030 is 3.03M vehicles, the company reported.AI-POWERED CHARGING GUIDANCE:Google (GOOGL)it is bringing Maps' AI-powered EV charging features to over 350 car models with Android Auto. Now, Maps will recommend when and where to charge based on EV model and battery level, reducing range anxiety and the need to juggle multiple apps. Users just need to add their EV info to Maps and set a destination in the car to see their expected battery usage. Then, add their current charge level to get recommended charging stops, estimated arrival battery level and an updated ETA based on charging time. "To deliver accurate battery predictions for hundreds of vehicles, we combine AI with advanced energy models that analyze car details - like weight and battery size - alongside Maps' real-time information about traffic, road elevation and weather. This will allow us to bring intelligent trip-planning features to most U.S. EVs soon," the company said. AI-powered battery predictions are rolling out now on hundreds of EV models in the U.S. across more than 15 brands, with more coming soon. Publicly traded companies in the space include Tesla, Lucid, Nio, Rivian, Xpeng, Li Auto, Zeekr, General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai.KEY MILESTONE:Rivianhas completed winter testing of the VW ID. EVERY1, the first vehicle from its joint venture with Volkswagento use Rivian's software and electrical architecture, triggering a $1B investment from Volkswagen, Sean O'Kane of TechCrunch. The funding includes $750M in equity and $250M in either equity or convertible debt, contingent on the prototypes supplied for testing.SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM:Li Autoannounced that its board of directors has approved a share repurchase program under which the company is authorized to purchase up to $1B of its Class A ordinary shares and/or American depositary shares for the period from the approval date up to March 31, 2027.
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- Earnings Expectations: Tesla is projected to report Q1 revenue of $22.3 billion, with an automotive gross margin of 16.0%, earnings per share of $0.36, energy storage deployment of 8.8 GWh, and free cash flow of -$1.8 billion, indicating financial pressure amid a weaker start to the year.
- Delivery Data: The company delivered 358,023 vehicles in Q1, falling short of the 365,000 vehicle consensus estimate, despite producing 408,386 vehicles, highlighting a mismatch between production capacity and market demand.
- Capital Expenditure Concerns: Analysts express concerns that Tesla may push capital spending above $20 billion in 2026 due to investments in Terafab and other AI-related projects, which could impact the company's financial health and future growth potential.
- Market Reaction Expectations: Options trading suggests a potential 6% share price move following the earnings report, with investors keenly awaiting Elon Musk's presentation, particularly regarding the robotaxi rollout, which could influence Tesla's competitive position against rivals.
- Significant Margin Pressure: Jefferies raised Tesla's price target from $300 to $350, still implying an 11% downside from current levels, with Q1 revenue expected around $21.2 billion and a core automotive gross margin of only 15.5%, highlighting the profitability challenges the company faces.
- 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.
- Disappointing Performance: Tesla's latest quarterly results fell short of market expectations, raising investor concerns about the sustainability of future demand, which could negatively impact stock prices and investor confidence.
- Emerging Demand Issues: Analysts suggest that the decline in performance may be an early sign of deeper demand problems facing Tesla, which, if not addressed quickly, could have long-term implications for future sales.
- Critical Date Approaching: April 22, 2026, is viewed as a pivotal moment that could shift Tesla's overall narrative, prompting investors to closely monitor market dynamics and company strategy adjustments leading up to and following this date.
- Cautious Market Reaction: Based on market prices from April 10, 2026, fluctuations in Tesla's stock reflect investor caution regarding the company's future performance, potentially exacerbating market uncertainty in the short term.
- Market Potential: Rivian Automotive's market cap is currently around $21 billion, and if it could reach Tesla's valuation, there would be over 5,000% potential upside, indicating significant future growth potential in the EV market.
- Accelerated AI Investment: Rivian is ramping up investments in AI and autonomous driving technology, and while it cannot match Tesla's spending, its first AI Day impressed analysts, showcasing the company's commitment to future technologies.
- New Model Launch: Rivian plans to launch its first mass-market R2 SUV priced under $50,000 this year, which should help expand its production infrastructure and generate more driving data to enhance its AI models.
- Strategic Execution Challenges: Although Rivian is investing in several key areas, it still lags years behind Tesla, but if its AI and R2 SUV investments succeed, it could very well become the next Tesla.
- Cybersecurity Investment Opportunity: Berenberg initiates coverage on Palo Alto Networks with a buy rating, highlighting its status as a 'best-in-class' player in cybersecurity, combining multiple growth engines and strong product breadth, which is expected to attract more investor interest in its sustained growth potential.
- Optimistic Tesla Outlook: Bank of America reiterates Tesla as a buy, anticipating that the upcoming Q1 earnings report will focus on its robotaxi deployments aimed at disrupting the rideshare market and capturing a portion of the $1 trillion market opportunity, showcasing its strategic advantage amid increasing competition.
- Packaging Industry Growth Potential: Raymond James upgrades Ball Corp to outperform, citing the company's strong performance in cost pass-throughs and structural support for the beverage sector, predicting it will achieve outsized growth compared to its packaging peers.
- Biopharma Market Prospects: Canaccord initiates AbbVie with a buy rating and a price target of $262, emphasizing its position as a 'core holding' and showcasing its strong growth potential and market appeal in the biopharmaceutical sector.
- Bitcoin Price Volatility: In 2026, Bitcoin's price fell from over $87,000 to around $74,000, influenced by inflation concerns, the Iran war, and large holder sell-offs, highlighting market instability.
- Draper's Investment Belief: As an early Bitcoin investor, Draper purchased 29,600 Bitcoins for $18.7 million in 2014 and remains bullish on its potential to reach $250,000 in the next 18 months, citing inflationary pressures and a weakening dollar as catalysts.
- 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.
- Investor Caution: Despite Draper's historically successful predictions, the high volatility of Bitcoin warrants caution among investors, suggesting that Bitcoin could serve as a diversification option within an investment portfolio.










