Tesla: Brief Summary

Tesla Inc. has its global headquarters in Palo Alto, CA.  The company competes in the auto manufacturing industry, specifically in the cyclical consumer sector.  At present, the company employs approximately 70,000 people.  Tesla’s main revenue generator is the design, development, and leasing of electric vehicles, as well as energy generation and storage devices.

From a financial perspective, the company has a market capitalization of $580 billion.  The company has a beta of 2.0.  This indicates to investors that the company stock is substantially riskier as compared to the overall market.  In the last several years, Tesla has yet to pay any dividends.  This means that the firm is continually finding ways to re-invest its profits.  As for the stock price range, in the last 52 weeks, the organization’s stock was between $187.43 to $900.40.

Section 1: Tesla Income Statement Analyzed

In this section, I walk through a broad definition of what an income statement is and why it is important.  From this, I then discuss and define income statement line items, such as revenues, gross profits, etc. in detail.  After each line item is defined and discussed, I finally offer a summary analysis of Tesla's important income statement line item trends from 2016 to 2020, in most cases.

Tesla Revenue Growth.

In the last five years, Tesla’s revenues have grown annually, on average, at a 49% rate.  For a multinational organization, this annual growth rate is astounding.  However, a concerning trend for the organization’s revenue growth rate is that it has been haphazard.  For example, between 2017 and 2018, the firm’s growth rate was 82.5%.  Also, between 2020 and 2021, the organization’s growth rate was 70.7%.  However, from 2018 to 2019, the firm’s growth rate was only 14.5%.  A better strategy would be for the organization to implement operational strategies to ensure consistent revenue growth year over year.

Analyst Grade: A

Section 2: Tesla Balance Sheet Analyzed

For Tesla's balance sheet, I again go through each important line item from the balance sheet.  In reviewing each line item, I will define their balance sheets line items, such as cash, property, plant and equipment, and liabilities.  Next, I then offer a summary analysis of their important balance sheet line items.

Tesla Cash.

Tesla’s cash position ended 2017 at $3.3 billion.  In the next two years, the organization’s cash balance would increase moderately, ending 2019 at $6.2 billion.  However, in the next year, the firm’s cash position would balloon to $19.3 billion.  This cash increase may be due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the organization’s wish to have a substantial cash buffer through the pandemic.  However, the organization’s cash balance remained elevated in 2021, ending the year at $17.5 billion. 

A better strategy would be for the firm to divest some of the cash into short-term investments or reinvest the funds into operational growth opportunities.  In my opinion, this shows the mismanagement of short-term assets.

Analyst Grade: C

Section 3: Tesla Financial Ratios Analyzed

For this section, I have chosen several different financial ratios to review for Tesla.  In reviewing each of their financial ratios, I first start with defining the financial ratio.  Next, I supply the financial formula for calculating the specific ratio.  Finally, I offer a brief analysis of their important Financial ratios. 

Tesla Total Asset Turnover.

Tesla’s total asset turnover ended 2016 at .28.  In the next two years, the organization’s total asset turnover would improve, ending 2018 at .62.  However, the firm would become less efficient over the last two years ending in 2020 at .52.  The inefficiency in this ratio is again mind-boggling.  From my experience, if an organization grows exponentially, the company inevitably benefits from the economy of scale concept.  However, with the company’s total asset turnover falling in the last two years, this indicates that the firm is not taking advantage of the opportunity.  The main reason could be their poor use of current assets, specifically cash.

Tesla Return on Assets.

Tesla’s return on assets ended 2016 at a -3.4%.  In the next year, the organization’s return on assets would fall, ending 2017 at -7.8%.  However, from this point, the firm would continually improve its return on assets ending 2020 at 1.6%.  This indicates that the firm is better at utilizing assets used to generate revenues.  To further improve this trend, the firm needs to focus on improving its current asset utilization, specifically its cash reserves.