Latest News

2 Alternatives To Tesla (1 Safe, 1 More Risky)

2023-08-09 - Key Points Tesla shares are up 140% this year so far. Ford offers a solid low-risk alternative to those looking for EV exposure. NIO is riskier but has greater potential for higher returns. 5 stocks we like better than Tesla The electric vehicles (EV) industry has been one of the hottest out there in recent years. And even though the rising interest rate cycle has made it more expensive for EV stocks, which are growth stocks by definition, to fund their expansion, it feels like it’s an unstoppable force at this point. At this stage, all of our readers will be familiar with Tesla Inc NASDAQ: TSLA, with many surely having already owned shares at some point. But while Tesla, in our view at least, remains the out-and-out leader in the space, competition has been heating up. Just because Tesla has a first-mover advantage and is many years ahead of its peers doesn’t mean there’s not still an opportunity to be had in alternative EV stocks. Here are two worth keeping on your watchlist. Ford is arguably the most established of Tesla’s competition. It has a history going back 120 years, as well as a brand name that is just as recognizable. In addition, it’s already turning over tens of billions in revenue every quarter, which effectively removes the business continuity risk that has plagued many of the not-yet-at-market alternative EV stocks. It took some time for their EV plans to get off the ground, but the past two years have seen them starting to close the gap to Tesla seriously. Ford is targeting an EV production run rate of 600,000 vehicles by 2024 as part of its longer-term goal of hitting 2 million. These are astonishing numbers and indicate how seriously Ford is taking its EV business. Investors haven’t ignored it either. The past year has been tough for both stocks, but Ford avoided the 60% haircut that Tesla investors had to stomach. To be fair, Ford’s rallies have also been less aggressive, but it’s still only down 18% compared to last August, while Tesla is down 13%. If we rewind the clock to August 2020, both stocks are neck and neck with gains of 85% each. The last week of July saw Ford beat their Q2 earnings estimates while also raising their forward guidance. Forecasted EV demand is playing a prominent role in this, and investors looking at an alternative to Tesla have a strong option with Ford. If Ford is to be considered the most established alternative to Tesla, then NIO represents the newer wave of EV stocks that are still winning investors’ confidence. While Ford has effectively traded sideways for the past year, NIO shares were down as much as 65% coming into the summer. A recent rally has taken the edge of that drop, but they’re still trading lower by 35% versus where they were this time last year. This is indicative of falling confidence in the market that NIO can ever live up to the hype that sent their shares on a 3,000% rally in 2020. But with a clear bottom having been put in, those of us on the sidelines can get a clearer picture of where things might be going in the near to medium term. For starters, NIO’s July deliveries out of China saw a 90% jump month on month. This helped drive a 103% year-on-year jump, with a cumulative delivery number for the year of 364,579. By any measure, these are good results, which makes the recovery potential in NIO particularly appetizing. As recently as June of this year, NIO shares were trading back at their 2018 levels. For context, their quarter revenue has increased 42,000% in the five years since. NIO’s chart over the timeframe doesn’t make for pretty viewing, but there’s an argument to be made that they’ve had their baptism of fire and are actually starting to mature as a bonafide EV company. They remain the riskier of the two alternatives but, at the same time, hold the greater potential for another eye-watering rally. Before you consider Tesla, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Tesla wasn't on the list. While Tesla currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. View The Five Stocks Here

Reaching The Finish Line Of The EV Race Is A Daunting Task, One That Some Won't Be Able To Accomplish

2023-08-08 - For all those who are not Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) or one of the biggest Chinese EV makers, the EV venture is wildly risky ride that makes profitability seem like mission impossible sometimes. Although Kelley Blue Book reported that EV sales skyrocketed 65% last year while automotive sales contracted 8%, the EV adoption is everything but fast as it entails hefty costs. For manufacturers, Tesla made it even harder by starting a price war at the beginning of the year, one that not many are able to survive, let alone win. Some Have Already Fallen Behind... In June, Lordstown Motors Corp (OTC: RIDEQ) filed for bankruptcy. To date, it has lost about 83% of its share price. Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA) stock dropped more than 77% since its launch. Despite the attractivieness of their value propositions, these two players just do not have what it takes for the EV race. The Chinese EV Players Are Going Full-speed Ahead XPeng Inc. (NYSE: XPEV) is among the leading EV makers in China as it distinguished itself with its technology and innovation that includes developing advanced driver assist-systems. Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ: LI) is a pioneer but its ONE SUV, a plugin hybrid addressed the consumers who had concerns about range anxiety, allowing the automaker to compete with XPeng and Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO). Nio has literally carved a niche for itself in the premium EV market with its SUVs and the ET7 luxury sedan. Nio also distinguished itself with its "Battery as a Service" model and battery swap technology focused on creating a lifestyle brand that offers experiences as opposed to just one that sells EVs. The Legendary Automotive Players Are Going Above And Beyond General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) will be commiting $27 billion in its electric and automonous future until 2025, as it aims to launch 30 EV models across the planet, fueled by its Ultium battery technology. GM is known for learnings from its lessons, so its EV plans go beyond passenger vehicles to include commercial vehicles and even electric air taxis, showing its aspiration to contribute to future of electric mobility. Story continues The world’s largest automaker by production volume, Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) might have entered the EV race later than others but will be investing $13.5 billion into battery technology by the end of the decade as it aims for 40% of its global sales to be made of EVs by 2025. With its established global presence, manufacturing expertise, and the fact it is a brand known for its reliability, Toyota certainly has a shot of being among the EV leaders someday. The German automaker, Volkswagen AG (OTC: VWAGY) is aspiring to not only catch up to Tesla but also become a global leader in electric mobility by 2025. With its ambitious "Transform 2025+" strategy, Volkswagen aims to sell approximately 26 million fully-electric EVs by 2029. With its substantial resources and diverse portfolio, this aggressive approach to EVs can certainly push Volkswagen to become a dominant EV player. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) recently posted its second quarter revenue rose 12% YoY with net income nearly tripling to $1.9 billion. With about $30 billion of cash and more than $47 billion in liquidity, Ford has what it takes to fund its electric transition. Ford has also followed Tesla in lowering the price of its electric pickup, the Lightning, and it has exited areas where it was burning cash such as South America production and passenger segments in North America. After delivering strong second quarter results, Ford also raised its full-year guidance. Although ‘new’ as it was formed in 2021, Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA) is a conglomerate formed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group to reflect their EV commitment that entails an investment of €30 billion through 2025 in developing EV technology. Stellantis aims for 70% of sales in Europe and 40% in the US to be made by low emission vehicles by the end of the decade, while covering models from small city cars to performance vehicles. Electric Pickups 2023 has already been deemed as the year of the electric pickup. With Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) already having its R1T on the road, Tesla will be finally releasing its futuristic Cybertruck by the end of the year. Interestingly, Hyundai Motor Company (OTC: HYMTF) will be releasing its Santa Cruz pickup next year that will be equipped by revolutionary solar-powered technology by Worksport Ltd (NASDAQ: WKSP). Specialized in soft and hard-folding tonneau covers, Worksport will be making a customized SOLIS solar tonneau cover for Hyundai, with Santa Cruz combining the best from an SUV and an open-bed vehicle. Moreover, with SOLIS and its COR portable battery system, Worksport might be able to extend the range of electric pickups and help EV pickup makers uplevel their game with this minor addition as Worksport is known for making innovative technology affordable. Worksport announced that it will begin assembling its ‘made-in-the-USA’ SOLIS covers at its NY facility as soon as the improved COR battery system becomes market ready, that is once R&D is finalized. Recap EV sales are expected to rise 35% YoY this year, fueled by supporting policies and incentives both for consumers and manufacturers. Yet, even legendary automakers are missing deadlines with lagging production and startups are struggling with serious financial issues, including bankruptcy. The EV space is undoubtedly crowded and the competition is fierce. With Tesla having raised the bar high, performance-wise, not everyone who started their electric ‘engines’ will succeed to reach the finish line. DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as investing advice. Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - join Benzinga Pro for free! Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better. This article Reaching The Finish Line Of The EV Race Is A Daunting Task, One That Some Won't Be Able To Accomplish originally appeared on Benzinga.com . © 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

The 10 Stocks MarketBeat Readers Like Best

2023-08-08 - Key Points MarketBeat readers have spoken! These are the 10 stocks with the highest interest on the platform. Where retail investors go, price action usually moves higher, especially when the analysts are also buying. There are interesting opportunities and AI, tech, EV, and consumer spending within this list. 5 stocks we like better than Apple MarketBeat has many tools to help investors find great investments, and 1 of them is the Trending Stocks List. The trending stocks list can be tuned to different periods but tracks the same data: the net number of new followers for stocks on Marketbeat. That may seem like a simple statistic but don’t be fooled. The data tracks sentiment among retail investors and is a valuable source of trading information. Retail investors make up a large portion of the market and are influential in the direction of stock prices. When they move into a market, there’s a good chance it will move higher. If the analysts and institutions are also buying, the stock price could move significantly higher. The Market Still Has FAANGs, +Microsoft The top 4 followed stocks for the 1st week of August on MarketBeat are no surprise. The ranking from 1st to 4th is Apple NASDAQ: AAPL, Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT, Meta NASDAQ: META, and Google NASDAQ: GOOG, representing half of the FAANG+ market. These stocks are also the most followed over the last 90 days, suggesting momentum in their respective markets. While the stories vary from name to name, the underlying theme with these stocks is that cloud and consumer-driven businesses are solid and compounded by repositioning and efficiencies that are driving bottom-line results. AI is also a central theme, with infrastructure at the story's core. These companies are foundational to the AI revolution; their results will show it. META isn’t the only or even the most obvious example of how AI impacts business, but its 7% boost in engagement driven by AI is a telling sign. The analysts also like them, which is another tailwind for their markets. All but 1 are in the top 10 Most Upgraded Stocks, and the outlier, Apple, is in 11th. Tesla Is The 5th Most-Followed Stock On MarketBeat It’s a little surprising that Amazon NASDAQ: AMZN is not in the top 5 Most Followed Stocks, but it isn’t surprising to find Tesla NASDAQ: TSLA in that position. Given the analysts ' activity, the company produced a solid beat with its 2Q results and will likely trend higher. The analysts' consensus target is lagging the price action and weighing on the rally now but trending solidly higher. The most recent activity includes a single downgrade to Neutral. Still, it came with a price target increase that has the market fairly valued at $270 or above the recent action, and many of the newest targets are well above that level. Regarding the business, the near-term headwind is the margin. Margin contracted YOY but resulted in a jump in sales that could gain momentum. The guidance was a little weak, only as expected, but may also be considered cautious given the jump in sales and the company’s track record of outperformance. AMC Entertainment Gets MarketBeat Readers’ Attention AMC Entertainment NYSE: AMC has caught the eye of MarketBeat readers and sits in the 6th position. The rise in interest is largely due to “Barbenheimer,” which is driving an expectation for outperformance this quarter. The risk here is that neither the analysts nor the institutions are buying, and the short interest is relatively high. Interesting Opportunities In Positions 7 Through 10 The final 4 in this countdown include interesting names like NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA, Amazon, NIO NYSE: NIO, and AMD NASDAQ: AMD. NVIDIA and AMD are being driven by AI interest, demand for their highest-performance chips, and the long-term outlook for AI, which is robust. NVIDIA is the 6th most followed stock and up 1 spot compared to the 90-day data. AMD is also up 1 position to #10, which shows growing momentum for these AI-powered names. Amazon is down from #7 to #8 but still solidly in the top 10. It’s driven by strength in AWS, core business, and the new CEO’s attention to detail. NIO, like Tesla, is supported by a ramp in production and deliveries; it produced a triple-digit increase for July and is supported by strength in its home market. Likewise, Tesla reported a triple-digit gain in China for July, and it could have been higher if not for a scheduled shutdown. Before you consider Apple, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Apple wasn't on the list. While Apple currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. View The Five Stocks Here