• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
FinanceTesla

Tesla’s ‘Cinderella ride’ is over and demand is ‘starting to crack,’ Wedbush’s Dan Ives says. Here’s what could come next

Will Daniel
By
Will Daniel
Will Daniel
Down Arrow Button Icon
Will Daniel
By
Will Daniel
Will Daniel
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 3, 2023, 1:23 PM ET
Elon Musk attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City.
Elon Musk attends the 2022 Met Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2 in New York City. Theo Wargo—WireImage/Getty Images

Tesla delivered more cars than ever in 2022, but it still wasn’t enough to meet its own lofty forecasts. 

Elon Musk’s EV giant sent over 1.3 million cars to customers last year—a 40% year-over-year increase from 2021—despite rising interest rates and persistent inflation. But Wedbush’s tech analyst Dan Ives said that the company missed its 50% annual delivery growth target “by a country mile” on Tuesday.  

“Demand overall is starting to crack a bit for Tesla. The company will need to adjust and cut prices more especially in China, which remains the key to the growth story,” Ives wrote in a note. “That remains the worry heading into a very cloudy 2023.”

Demand issues and lofty forecasts 

On Monday, Tesla reported 405,278 total vehicle deliveries in the fourth quarter compared with a consensus Wall Street estimate for roughly 420,000. The stock fell as much as 15% on Tuesday in response to the news, and is now down nearly 75% over the past 12 months. 

Demand issues have left many Tesla investors worrying about the company’s high valuation in the market. 

Wall Street is expecting Tesla delivery growth in the 35% to 40% range for 2023, which may be too high in the current economic environment, according to Ives. But the analyst remains confident that the company can turn things around and weather any potential recession, arguing that management just needs to reset investors’ expectations with more “realistic” delivery and financial targets for next year.

“Musk & Co. need to lay out a more conservative number to hit in this jittery backdrop and rip the Band-Aid off guidance,” he wrote. 

Still, Ives—who has been one of Tesla’s biggest bulls for years—recently removed the company from Wedbush’s “Best Ideas List,” a list of top stock market picks from analysts.

“The Cinderella ride is over for Tesla, and Musk now needs to navigate the company through this Category 5 dark macro storm,” he said on Tuesday.

And with recession predictions from Wall Street underscoring the potential for reduced consumer spending in 2023, some analysts even argue Tesla stock could drop below $25 a share next year.

The bulls and the bears

Even the most bullish of analysts acknowledge that Tesla is facing short-term demand issues and struggling to meet its optimistic forecasts, but Wall Street is split on the EV giant’s future prospects.

In the bulls’ camp, Ives holds a $175 price target on Tesla shares, representing a potential 60%-plus share price jump. He argues that a lot of the recent bad news about deliveries is already priced into the stock, and that the electric vehicle boom is still “in the early innings of a major growth cycle.”

And CFRA Research’s senior equity analyst Garrett Nelson reiterated his $225, 12-month price target for shares of Tesla on Tuesday.

“After a difficult year for EV manufacturer equities such as Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian, we are bullish on TSLA in 2023,” he wrote, noting that a stock buyback could be “looming.” 

Nelson argues Tesla’s sales volumes will hit multiple “new record highs” in 2023 as the firm’s Austin and Berlin factories ramp up production; lower-price Teslas become eligible for federal EV tax credits; and the Cybertruck rolls out. 

A higher valuation for the stock is “justified by long-term growth expectations,” he said.

But Gordon Johnson, CEO of GLJ Research, isn’t so sure. Johnson, who is known as Tesla’s biggest bear, believes that rising competition and falling demand will cut Tesla’s stock price to under $25 per share by the end of next year.

He told Fortune that Tesla’s lead times—the average time customers wait to receive their vehicle—have been falling rapidly in recent months. It’s one of many signals that illustrate the company’s growth has stalled, according to the analyst.

“Their actual new orders were around 250,000 cars in the fourth quarter. That’s down quarter over quarter and down year over year,” he said. “Yet it’s valued as if it’s hyper-growth. That is why the stock is imploding.”

While Tesla bulls point to potential growth verticals for the company like robotics, semitrucks, and self-driving as possible saviors, Johnson said that he wouldn’t trust Elon Musk’s promises.

He pointed to previous forecasts that haven’t panned out—including when Musk said full–self-driving cars would be ready in six months in 2017 and Cybertruck deliveries would begin in 2021 at the start of the pandemic.

“It’s just a car company that can’t sell its capacity,” Johnson said. “Even the bearish analysts…are still way too bullish.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. The company dissolved its PR department several years ago.

Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter examines how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today’s executives. Subscribe here.

About the Author
Will Daniel
By Will Daniel
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

A woman stands with her hand resting on a table
Future of WorkJobs
When loyalty is rewarded: Top earners who stay in their jobs get much larger pay increases than those who switch
By Jacqueline MunisMay 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
EconomyGovernment
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
By Shawn TullyMay 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Best certificates of deposit (CDs) for May 2026
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Best certificates of deposit (CDs) for May 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 29, 2026
14 hours ago
Russia warns war costs are ravaging its finances while Ukrainian ‘drone overmatch’ sends Putin’s forces reeling in new phase of combat
PoliticsRussia
Russia warns war costs are ravaging its finances while Ukrainian ‘drone overmatch’ sends Putin’s forces reeling in new phase of combat
By Jason MaMay 29, 2026
16 hours ago
Mid adult real estate agent talking to couple at a house for sale
Real Estatehomebuying
Pandemic relief funds accidentally broke the housing market by helping scammers inflate local home prices nearly 6%, study finds
By Tristan BoveMay 29, 2026
17 hours ago
donald trump
EconomyImmigration
Immigration restrictions don’t boost native workers. They cut economic mobility for generations, study finds
By Jake AngeloMay 29, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
Magazine
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
3 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
9 days ago
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Success
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
UBS says Ron DeSantis has a problem with his plan to help 92% of homeowners save on property taxes: His own state's data
Personal Finance
UBS says Ron DeSantis has a problem with his plan to help 92% of homeowners save on property taxes: His own state's data
By Nick LichtenbergMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
21 hours ago
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest—and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days
AI
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest—and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days
By Jake AngeloMay 28, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.