Tesla sinks to bear market, stock snaps its six-day rally and plunges 13%
Live MintThe incredible six-day, 60% rally in Tesla Inc. that left Wall Street watchers scratching their heads screeched to a halt Wednesday. The breather comes as analysts at Canaccord Genuity cut their rating on the stock to hold following an “electrifying run” on concerns that its Shanghai factory may struggle as China works to contain the coronavirus. The rapid run in Tesla shares over the past three months, which accelerated to a dizzying pace over the past week, came on the back of two strong quarterly reports, the quick construction of its China factory, an ahead-of-schedule launch of the new Model Y crossover vehicle and a first profit for the battery plant the company jointly operates in Nevada with Panasonic Corp. “Many investors are struggling to identify a strong fundamental underpinning for the move,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note to clients, adding that investor feedback from the discussions has been “calm, curious and overall cautious.” That sentiment may have finally caught up with the stock, starting with the jaw-dropping $109 drop in the price right before the closing bell on Tuesday. Wall Street is pedaling back on some of its enthusiasm, with Canaccord Genuity’s Jonathan Dorsheimer downgrading Tesla to hold from buy, warning of a likely “reset of expectations” in the first quarter and flagging China’s coronavirus as a clear headwind to the Shanghai facility.