Tesla Inc shares tumbled Wednesday morning after the electric vehicle maker’s fourth-quarter deliveries fell short of Wall Street expectations.
Shares of Tesla fell nearly 7% to US$310.64 in Wednesday afternoon trading.
READ: Don’t worry about Tesla’s Model 3s left in inventory, says Baird
The company delivered a total of 90,7000 vehicles, including 63,150 Model 3s, 13,500 Model S sedans, and 14,050 Model X SUVs.
Analysts had expected to see 64,900 Model 3 deliveries, 14,200 for the Model S and 13,600 for the Model X, according to consensus estimates.
Tesla produced a total of 86,555 vehicles, an 8% increase compared with 80,142 cars in the third quarter.
Price cut
Tesla ramped up its production to fulfill orders for customers looking to take advantage of a US$7,500 federal tax credit granted to those who buy new electric vehicles.
As per the credit guidelines, Tesla customers had to have their cars delivered by December 31.
As of January 1, the tax credit was slashed to US$3,750.
Looking to highlight its affordability, Tesla noted that new owners can apply to receive the tax credit and may be eligible for additional state and local electric vehicle incentives, which can range up to US$4,000.
An analyst weighs in
Some may equate a price cut with softening demand, but Baird analyst Ben Kallo cautioned against making that assumption.
“Announced price cuts may exacerbate concerns over moderating demand, though we believe worries are overblown and note TSLA has many levers to grow sales,” wrote Kallo.
The analyst highlighted several factors driving Model 3 sales, including shipping to international markets in February and introducing leasing options.
Baird reiterated an Outperform rating with a price target of US$465.
--Story updated to include analyst commentary and recent share price
Contact Lenore Fedow at lenore@proactiveinvestors.com
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