Tesla's Appeal Denied in $243 Million Autopilot Verdict

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

Source: Newsfilter

Updated: 1 hour ago

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TSLA-0.44%

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Should l Buy TSLA?

Source: Newsfilter

Ruling Upheld: Federal Judge Beth Bloom in Miami denied Tesla's request to overturn a $243 million jury verdict, stating that the evidence presented at trial sufficiently supported the jury's decision, highlighting Tesla's liability in the 2019 fatal Autopilot crash.
Accident Details: The incident occurred in Key Largo, Florida, resulting in the death of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides and severe injuries to her boyfriend Dillon Angulo, as Tesla owner George McGee lost control of his vehicle while using Enhanced Autopilot, accelerating through an intersection at over 60 miles per hour.
Legal Consequences: The jury found Tesla partially responsible for the crash last year, and despite Tesla's attempts to appeal the verdict or seek a new trial, the judge ruled there was no sufficient basis for such actions, increasing Tesla's legal exposure.
Market Impact: This ruling poses a challenge to Tesla's competitiveness in the autonomous driving market, particularly as it lags behind competitors like Alphabet's Waymo and Baidu's Apollo Go in offering commercial ride-hailing services, potentially affecting investor confidence.

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Analyst Views on TSLA

Wall Street analysts forecast TSLA stock price to fall

30 Analyst Rating

12 Buy

11 Hold

7 Sell

Hold

Current: 411.710

Low

25.28

Averages

401.93

High

600.00

Current: 411.710

Low

25.28

Averages

401.93

High

600.00

Tigress Financial

Buy

initiated

$550

2026-02-12

Reason

Tigress Financial

Price Target

$550

AI Analysis

2026-02-12

initiated

Buy

Reason

Tigress Financial resumed coverage of Tesla with a Buy rating and $550 price target. The firm sees long-term growth and value creation "increasingly" being driven by Tesla's evolution from a pure-play EV manufacturer into "a multi-layered physical AI platform." The firm sees "the physical AI growth flywheel" being driven by expanding Full Self Drive subscriptions, robotaxis, and Optimus humanoid robots to stack on top of "an already sizable and profitable EV and energy base," the analyst tells investors.

Morgan Stanley

analyst

Equal Weight

maintain

$415

2026-02-10

Reason

Morgan Stanley

analyst

Price Target

$415

2026-02-10

maintain

Equal Weight

Reason

Morgan Stanley believes Tesla's decision to allocate capital to solar manufacturing is rooted in a strategic long-term outlook around geopolitics and data center demand, adding that the firm preliminarily estimates that Tesla Solar, at full capacity, could add $20B-$50B, or $6-$14 per share, of equity value to a Tesla Energy business that the firm currently values at $140B, or $40 per share. While "not too material to Tesla's valuation on a standalone basis," the firm believes allocating capital to adding solar capacity may be justified by the value creation and growth opportunities that having a vertically integrated solar and energy storage business can yield, adds the analyst, who has an Equal Weight rating and $415 price target on Tesla shares.

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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.

Tesla Launches Most Affordable Cybertruck at $59,990

14 hours agostocktwits

New Model Launch: Tesla has opened U.S. orders for its Cybertruck priced at $59,990, which, while lower than the previous $79,990 version, still exceeds CEO Elon Musk's promised starting price of $40,000 from 2019, indicating market pricing pressures.
Performance and Features: The new Cybertruck features dual-motor all-wheel drive with an estimated range of 325 miles, standard features include a powered tonneau cover and multiple power outlets, although it sacrifices some premium elements, it still offers significant utility.
Market Expansion Strategy: As U.S. demand cools, Tesla is expanding Cybertruck availability overseas, having opened orders in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, with pricing starting at 435,000 riyals (approximately $116,000) in Saudi Arabia, highlighting the potential of international markets.
Sales Expectations and Challenges: Despite production capacity expected to exceed 250,000 units annually, current quarterly sales are only about 5,000 units, indicating demand challenges for Tesla, which may need to explore commercial applications to boost sales.

Tesla Cuts Cyberbeast Price to $99,990, Discontinues Luxe Package

16 hours agoYahoo Finance

Price Adjustment: Tesla has reduced the price of its most expensive Cyberbeast model from $114,990 to $99,990, aiming to attract more cost-conscious consumers and enhance sales while strengthening its market competitiveness.
Luxe Package Discontinuation: The price cut comes with the discontinuation of the Luxe Package, which included Supervised Full Self-Driving and free access to the Supercharger network, reflecting Tesla's strategic shift towards optimizing its product offerings and cost control.
Stable Pricing for Other Models: While the Cyberbeast price has been lowered, prices for other Cybertruck models remain unchanged, indicating Tesla's differentiated pricing strategy to cater to various consumer segments effectively.
New Model Introduction: Earlier this month, Tesla introduced a new all-wheel drive variant of its Model Y SUV priced at $41,990, further diversifying its product line and laying the groundwork for its 2026 strategy aimed at attracting more budget-conscious buyers.

US Stocks Rally as S&P 500 Hits One-Week High Following Supreme Court Ruling

58 minutes agoNASDAQ.COM

Market Recovery: The S&P 500 index rose by 0.58%, reaching a one-week high, primarily driven by the Supreme Court's ruling against Trump's global tariffs, which is expected to boost economic growth and improve market sentiment.
Weak Economic Data: The US Q4 GDP grew at an annualized rate of only 1.4%, significantly below the expected 2.8%, indicating fragility in the economic recovery and potentially leading the Fed to adopt a more cautious approach in future rate decisions.
Rising Inflation Pressures: The December core PCE price index increased by 3.0% year-over-year, surpassing expectations of 2.9%, which may impact the Fed's monetary policy and limit its ability to cut rates, thereby affecting market liquidity.
Positive Earnings Outlook: Over 74% of S&P 500 companies reported earnings that exceeded expectations, with Q4 earnings growth projected at 8.4%, providing support for the market and demonstrating corporate resilience amid economic uncertainties.