Trading Guide to TSLA: NASDAQ – All You Need to Know About Tesla 

Tesla is regarded as one of the most visionary and innovative tech companies of our time. Here’s everything you need to know about TSLA, including company history, stock splits, trading information, and more.

Key Points 

• Tesla stock has faced sharp declines in 2025 due to Cybertruck quality issues, declining sales, and growing competition. 

• Elon Musk plans to launch a low-cost EV by 2025, aiming to revitalise demand and expand Tesla’s market reach. 

• Negative publicity and Musk’s controversies are contributing to brand damage and investor concerns. 

H2 – Latest developments investors should note 

Tesla makes largest Cybertruck recall ^[1] 

Tesla has recalled over 46,000 Cybertrucks in the US, affecting nearly all units produced since November 2023. The recall involves the “cant rail”, a stainless-steel exterior trim panel that can delaminate and detach, posing a road hazard and increasing crash risk. This is not Tesla’s first recall.  

The company has made several rounds of vehicular recalls in 2022, involving various issues that could potentially pose a safety hazard.  

The Cybertruck, starting at over $72,000, was meant to boost Tesla’s brand and tap into the lucrative pickup truck market, but the recall and negative publicity may delay its impact. Analysts, including long-time Tesla bull Dan Ives, have warned of a “tornado crisis moment” for the company, citing brand damage linked to Elon Musk’s political activities and controversies. 

Since January 2024, Tesla’s stock has dropped nearly 40%, underperforming the broader market, as the company struggles with declining sales, increased competition, and an aging product lineup. 

Elon Musk announces plans for new EV models in 2025 ^[2] 

Tesla is on track to launch a new, low-cost vehicle in the first half of 2025, as confirmed by CEO Elon Musk and executives during the company’s Q3 earnings call. The project, described as a significant challenge due to the difficulty of reducing costs, aims to deliver an affordable model priced below $30,000 with incentives.  

Musk hinted that this vehicle could align closely with the autonomous “Cybercab”, slated for 2026, is expected to cost around $25,000 and lack traditional controls like steering wheels and pedals.Tesla is already producing approximately 35,000 autonomous vehicles weekly, far surpassing competitors like Waymo.  

While it remains unclear whether the 2025 model will be a stripped-down Model 3 or a precursor to the Cybercab, Musk emphasised that autonomy is central to Tesla’s future strategy. This low-cost vehicle could be a key driver for Tesla’s growth, targeting a broader market segment. 

Tesla’s full year 2023 earnings beat analysts’ expectations ^[3] 

Tesla reported strong FY 2023 results, with revenue rising 19% to $96.8 billion and net income up 19% to $15 billion. The profit margin held steady at 16%, while EPS grew to 4.73, beating analyst estimates by 61%.  

Although high costs of sales ($4.80 billion) impacted earnings, non-operating gains of $6.11 billion further boosted company revenue. Looking ahead, Tesla forecasts 16% annual revenue growth over the next three years, slightly above the 15% industry average, signalling continued momentum in the competitive auto sector. 

About Tesla

History of the company ^[4]

Tesla was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Initially, the company was known as Tesla Motors and struggled to find its footing. Shortly after, in 2004, Elon Musk became a major investor in the company and took on the role of Chairman of the Board.  

Musk’s involvement would later prove instrumental in Tesla’s ascension to its position as the world’s largest automaker.  

While Musk did not involve himself directly in the day-to-day operations of Tesla, he was later acknowledged to be the one behind several important decisions – such as insisting on a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer body and leading the designs of important components such as the power electronics module, headlamps and other styling ^[5].  

Musk is also credited with setting the start-up’s long-term strategy of creating affordable mass-market electric vehicles. 

After a series of contentious board and personnel changes, Musk took over as CEO of Tesla in 2008. Two years later, Tesla went public via an Initial Public Offering (IPO).  

TSLA hit the public markets at USD 17 – higher than the initial offer price of USD 14 to USD 16, highlighting the high levels of enthusiasm around the company even in the early stages ^[6]. 

Tesla had begun delivering its Model X in 2015, followed by forays into clean energy production and storage, deeper investment into automation, and the launch of a new model. It also rebranded in 2017 to Tesla (dropping “Motors” from its previous name), reflecting its expanded ambitions. However, these events did not engender notable stock price action.  

Significant milestones include the start of production at the Shanghai factory in 2019, which helped Tesla deliver nearly 500,000 vehicles by December 2020 ^[7]. This milestone, coupled with achieving its fourth profitable quarter in a row and its addition to the S&P 500, drove stock prices upwards significantly. 

Tesla’s Share Price 2025 

Chart 1: Tesla’s share price performance for the past year  (https://www.tradingview.com/x/bMguH4Au/) 

Over the past year, Tesla’s stock has experienced significant volatility, reflecting both the company’s ambitious growth plans and the challenges it faces in a competitive market. 

In November 2024, Tesla’s stock surged following the release of positive Q3 earnings, reaching an all-time-high of $479.86 mid-December ^[8]. The company reported better-than-expected revenue and profit margins, driven by strong sales of the Cybertruck and increased regulatory credit revenues. This period marked a high point for Tesla, as investor confidence soared on the back of these promising financial results. 

Since then, the stock has experienced a significant downturn. This decline was attributed to a combination of factors, including increased competition from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers, quality concerns with the Cybertruck, and CEO Elon Musk’s controversial political activities. These issues raised doubts among investors about Tesla’s ability to maintain its market leadership. 

The stock saw a slight increase following announcements at the beginning of 2025 to accelerate the launch of more affordable electric vehicles, which were anticipated to boost sales volumes and market expansion ^[9]. Despite this optimism, the stock failed to rally and faced further declines in March 2025 due to disappointing sales figures in China and Europe, as well as ongoing quality issues with the Cybertruck ^[10].  

These challenges underscored the difficulties Tesla faces in sustaining its growth trajectory amidst increasing competition and operational hurdles. As of March, the stock has plummeted by 50% from its peak. 

Business segments 

Tesla might be best known for its fully-electric consumer vehicles, but that’s not the only business segment it participates in.  

The company also deals in energy generation and energy storage products, starting with the 2015 launch of the Powerwall and Powerpack – giant rechargeable batteries for home and commercial use, and the acquisition of solar-power firm, SolarCity, in 2016 ^[11,12]. 

Back to its main business segment, Tesla has, to date, launched a total of four car models:  

1. Model S 

2. Model 3 

3. Model X 

4. Model Y 

It has also launched a Semi Truck and its smaller cousin, the retro-futuristic Cybertruck. 

With an aim of disrupting the legacy automotive industry, Tesla’s main rivals naturally include established automakers such as Ford and General Motors.  

However, it also has to watch out for competition from newer, fast-growing electric vehicle makers like Lucid Group Inc. and China-based NIO Inc. 

In 2021, Tesla moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, from its long-time home in Palo Alto, California ^[13]. It currently employs a total staff strength of over 99,000 ^[14]. 

About the stock TSLA 

TSLA trading information

• Primary exchange: NASDAQ
• Ticker: TSLA
• Country: US
• Currency: USD
• Trading hours:
  • Main: 9.30am to 4pm ET, Mon to Fri
  • Pre-market: 4am to 9.30am
  • After-market: 4pm to 8pm 

When was TSLA listed? 

TSLA was first listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on 29 Jun 2010, eight years after its founding. The stock was launched to the public at USD 17. After accounting for stock splits, the IPO share price was USD 1.13. 

At the time of writing, the price of one TSLA share is USD 189.98, representing a return of 168x. The stock’s highest price was seen on 4 Nov 2021, when it closed the day at USD 409.97 ^[15]. 

Stock splits

TSLA has undergone two stock splits since it started trading; a 5-for-1 stock split in 2020, and a further 3-for-1 split in 2022 ^[16].

The primary reason was to keep stock prices low, ensuring TSLA remains accessible for more retail investors.

The total number of TSLA stocks outstanding is estimated to be 3.16 billion ^[17]. 

Dividends

TSLA does not pay out any dividends.

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