Key Takeaways
- Tesla stock fell Thursday morning after its fourth-quarter deliveries fell short of estimates.
- Tesla delivered 495,570 vehicles in the quarter, up from the same time last year but below the 512,250 vehicles that analysts had expected.
- Shares of the EV maker have retreated in recent weeks from the record levels reached during their post-election rally.
Tesla (TSLA) shares sank Thursday morning after the electric vehicle maker reported fewer deliveries than analysts had expected for the fourth quarter.
The EV giant delivered 495,570 vehicles in the quarter, up from 484,507 in the same period last year, but below the 512,250 consensus estimate compiled by Visible Alpha. Tesla produced 459,445 vehicles in the quarter, well below the 503,500 analysts had expected, and the nearly 500,000 the company produced last year.
Full-Year Deliveries, Production Miss Estimates
Tesla also fell short of delivery and production estimates for the full fiscal year, with deliveries declining year-over-year to roughly 1.79 million vehicles—just below the 1.8 million analysts had expected. The company produced 1.77 million vehicles, below the 1.82 million that analysts projected.
Shares of the EV maker have rallied since Donald Trump’s election win in November because of CEO Elon Musk’s proximity to the president-elect and the belief that a second Trump administration will benefit Tesla. However, the stock has retreated in recent weeks from the record levels it reached last month.
The deliveries data also came a day after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing the person inside and injuring several others. Musk has said the company believes the explosion was intentional, and not the result of an issue with the vehicle.
Tesla also said Thursday it will report its full financial results for the quarter and fiscal 2024 after the bell January 29. Shares were around 4% lower in Thursday morning trading, putting them about 20% below last month’s record close of $479.86.