Tesla Downgraded As The Street Grows Cautious On Model 3

Tesla IncTSLAGeorge GalliersTesla's stock rating from Outperform to In Line with a price target lowered from $330 to $312. Tesla's Model 3 sedan happens to be the company's most "important piece" of the bullish, but a cautious view is now warranted, Galliers wrote in the downgrade note. Specifically, it is clear that production of the Model 3 sedan in the third quarter was weaker than expected with 260 units produced as opposed to an original target of slightly more than 1,500 units.

At this point, there is no indication of whether Tesla fixed whatever production issues it may have had. Investors may need to wait for clarity on the company's third-quarter earnings report on Nov. 1, the analyst wrote. As a best-case scenario, Tesla's management team would say that production of the Model 3 is an "S-Curve" and hasn't changed substantially.

However, a more likely scenario to play out would be Tesla's management unable to have 100 percent visibility on the Model 3 ramp until it is able to produce more than one thousand cars a week — which is unlikely to happen until the end of November.

"In the meantime, we urge caution on 3rd party interpretations of 20 second Instagram feeds from CEO Elon Musk," Galliers said. Related Links: Video: Gene Munster Compares Apples To Teslas What To Make Of Tesla's Mixed Q3 Deliveries _________ Image Credit: By Steve Jurvetson - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/36251519855/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons