Tesla (TSLA -4.95%) shares opened higher on Thursday after a better-than-expected quarterly report. Critics will point out that an already overvalued stock is now even more richly priced. Folks upset about Elon Musk's political antics will argue that the gains can't last for a divisive and mercurial CEO.
However, Tesla has traded higher -- much higher -- than it is right now for a good chunk of time. There was also a lot of meat in Wednesday afternoon's financial update to encourage a long-term bullish mindset for the country that made electric cars viable and aspirational. Let's look at some of the reasons why now might be a good time to buy Tesla stock like there's no tomorrow.
1. Profitability is growing faster than revenue
Revenue rising 8% to $25.2 billion for the three months ending in September isn't necessarily impressive. Investors already knew that vehicle deliveries for the quarter were preannounced as a 6% year-over-year increase. Average selling prices are moving lower, but given the Tesla ecosystem of subscriptions, accessories, and Supercharger outposts, it's easy to see why revenue is about more than just the initial sale.
Boo birds will point out that Tesla is experiencing an unsustainable boost by selling regulatory credits to automakers. There's also the automaker's booming energy generation and storage business padding results. It still doesn't take away from its blowout performance on the bottom line.
Net income soared 17% to $2.2 billion for the quarter, more than doubling its top-line gain. Tesla has slashed prices on everything from its cars to subscriptions for its autonomous driving platform. Its operating margin still clocked in at 10.8%, well above the 7.6% it posted a year earlier. The bottom line is now finding a way to shine.
This is Tesla's strongest revenue growth in a year, and the first time margins have widened and profits have outpaced the top line in more than a year. It was a refreshingly upbeat report.
Image source: Getty Images.
2. Autonomous driving is worth a premium
There's no shortage of video clips online showing Tesla's Full-Self Driving platform at its worst. It launched a couple of years ago in beta. There will be bugs. However, the subscription platform that automates the driving experience continues to get better with every update.
Tesla points out that the ratio of miles to interventions -- or how many times someone has to take over for something that the car is missing -- keeps getting better. A crash on autopilot is now statistically less likely to happen than with a human behind the wheel. It may never be perfect, but it's a win if it's safer than the owner behind the wheel.
Give it time. The market reaction was muted earlier this month when Tesla unveiled its cybertaxi and robovan. They are still a couple of years from hitting the road, and by the time they do, you can assume that the guts powering fully autonomous transportation will be even better. Tesla feels that the two-seater cybertaxi will provide an even cheaper transportation option than public mass transit.
3. Musk says Tesla stock will be much higher
Hype is the default setting in a Tesla earnings call, and once again, Musk said that Tesla will be the most valuable company in the world at some point. It's a bold claim for a company whose market cap is still 40% below its 2021 peak, but this is a far better and more profitable company than it was at the time.
Tesla is finding ways to shave down the cost of its cars, and that's helping Tesla dream out loud for future products. The next Tesla vehicle to hit the market could be priced as low as $25,000 after tax credits. It remains to be seen what it lacks from the current entry-level Model 3, but Musk emphasized that it will have Full-Self Driving as a subscription option.
More importantly, Musk says it should be available in early 2025. That's just a couple of months away.
Tesla did bring up its semi truck. It already showcased its two-seater and party van self-driving vehicles earlier this month. Musk even discussed the revamp of the Roadster, something that is on the back burner as Tesla prioritizes its other vehicles, but it's still in the works.
Along the way, Tesla is proving that it's different than the other electric car stocks. It continues to raise the bar, reinventing itself more than all the costume changes that Taylor Swift goes through at a concert. It's hard to bet against Tesla, despite then near-term valuation multiples of the business.
