Billionaire investor Ron Baron told CNBC’s Squawk Box today, “I think [Tesla] could be one of the largest companies in the United States and the whole world.” When it comes to investing, some are day traders. They get in and out of the market, sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a day or two. Ron Baron is not one of those.

His focus is on the long term. He thinks Tesla is a stock to buy and hold onto for the next 10 to 20 years. “I think in this one investment we can make $6 or $7 billion” over that time period, he said. Baron currently holds Tesla stock worth about $300 million. It has taken him about 3 years to accumulate his stake in the company.

He says his average share cost is $210. Tesla stock closed on Monday at just over $220 a share. “So we’ve made very little so far. But often times it takes us a very long time to [make money], Baron said. His company, Baron Capital, currently manages about $21 billion in assets.

He told CNBC he frequents the factory in Fremont, California and amazed each time he visits after seeing so much has changed. “I go there every three or four months. I look at the factory and see how much is changing,” said the chairman and CEO of Baron Capital, which has $21 billion in assets under management.

He says his investment in Tesla Motors is an investment in Elon Musk and the 14,000 employees who work for the company. “The competition is not anywhere. They could have caught him four or five years ago. But they can’t catch him now. He’s too far ahead.”

Asked about Tesla’s most recent sale of stock, Baron said, “I don’t think [Musk] is going to be back to the market for quite a while, if he’s ever going to be back to market for equity again. Throughout his whole operation, he has the opportunities to invest small amounts of capital and have high rates of return.”

He foresees rapid growth for Tesla. “They’re going to be $20 billion in sales next year, $20 billion. This year, they’re doing $8 or $9 billion. Last year they did $5 or $6 [billion].” He also made reference to the Gigafactory, which analyst Trip Chowdhry recently estimated will be worth $50 billion when finished. “They can do as much sales in batteries ultimately as they can in cars.”

Tesla is still one of the most frequently shorted stocks, but don’t tell that to Ron Baron. He is a firm believer in the mind of Musk and the power of the Tesla commitment to clean energy solutions.

Photo credit and source: CNBC

Investor's Corner

Tesla bull ARK loads up on over $20M in TSLA shares after stock slide

Published

7 hours ago

on

March 11, 2025

By

Joey Klender

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla bull ARK Invest loaded up on over $20 million worth of the automaker’s shares on Monday after the company saw its largest slide on the market since late 2020.

Shares dropped over 15 percent on Monday, mostly due to pushback on the stock as CEO Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His involvement with the U.S. government directly has sent some investors into a predicament over Musk’s dedication to Tesla.

There are also concerns regarding Q1 deliveries, which will be a big indication of where the year could be headed for Tesla.

The Monday slide was the biggest since late 2020 when shares dropped over 21 percent.

However, the slide presents a massive buying opportunity for investors, especially those who operate ETFs, like ARK. Long term, ARK believes Tesla shares (NASDAQ: TSLA) will be exponentially more expensive, especially leaning on the thesis that Robotaxi and AI/Optimus will translate to major growth in yet another sector for the company.

ARK bolstered its position on $TSLA in its ARKK Innovation ETF with a purchase of 68,164 shares. Tesla is the largest holding in ARKK with over $531 million in value. Tesla makes up exactly 10 percent of the ARKK ETF.

It also bought another 11,154 shares in its ARKQ Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF.

It’s no secret Tesla shares have taken a substantial hit in 2025, especially as the company’s price on Wall Street exploded following President Trump’s successful election campaign last year.

So far in 2025, Tesla shares are down over 38 percent. They are up nearly 5 percent as of 2:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Even bullish analysts are hoping some focus returns to Tesla on Musk’s part.

Dan Ives of Wedbush said in a note last night following the broad sell off:

“This is a gut check moment for the Tesla bulls (including ourselves) after this massive sell-off in Tesla shares with fears mounting/accelerating. The bears own the Tesla narrative in the near-term as lackluster sales numbers from Europe, China, and the US in January/February along with Musk protests/brand worries have created many concerns.”

He continued:

“While the DOGE/Trump Musk iron clad partnership has created major brand worries for Tesla…..we estimate less than 5% of Tesla sales globally are at risk from these issues despite the global draconian narrative for Musk. Importantly, we expect Musk will better balance his time between DOGE and Tesla/SpaceX over the course of 2025 and some of these distraction issues will fade.”

Investor's Corner

Elon Musk praises Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater for accumulating TSLA stock

Published

4 weeks ago

on

February 14, 2025

By

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla Asia/X

A recent 13-F filing from legendary investor and billionaire Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates has revealed that the hedge fund has added over $62 million worth of Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) to its portfolio.

Elon Musk has praised the billionaire’s investment in a post on X.

Bridgewater’s TSLA stake:

As per Bridgewater’s 13-F filing, it currently holds 153,589 shares of TSLA, which costs $62,025,382.
The firm added the TSLA shares in the fourth quarter.
Tesla shares gained momentum after its Q3 2024 earnings call, and it only gained more strength after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
At the end of 2024, Tesla shares were up 62%, as noted in a MarketWatch report.
Tesla stock is still up 88% over 12 months despite a steep drop over the past month.

Smart move
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 14, 2025

A vote of confidence:

Bridgewater Associates is one of the largest hedge funds in the world, so the firm’s stake in TSLA could be interpreted as a vote of confidence in the electric vehicle maker.
Elon Musk has praised the firm’s investment. In a post on X, Musk noted that Bridgewater’s investment was a “smart move.”
Elon Musk has been quite consistent on his idea that Tesla could eventually become the world’s most valuable company. He emphasized this point during the Q4 2024 earnings call.
“I see a path. I’m not saying it’s an easy path but I see a path of Tesla being the most valuable company in the world by far. Not even close. There is a path where Tesla is worth more than the next top five companies combined,” Musk said.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Investor's Corner

Tesla (TSLA) gets $475 price target and “Buy” rating from Benchmark

Published

4 weeks ago

on

February 12, 2025

By

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla

Tesla shares (NASDAQ:TSLA) have received a “Buy” rating and a $475 per share price target from Benchmark.

Benchmark’s price target is based on 68.2 times its 2028 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), as noted in a Morningstar report.

Tesla rating:

In a note to clients, Benchmark analyst Mickey Legg noted that Tesla has outlined a path towards more growth through several of its initiatives.
These include Tesla’s work in autonomous driving systems, robotics, and energy generation.
The company could also make more headway into the electric vehicle segment.
“The company has outlined a path for growth with a more affordable vehicle scheduled for 1H25, unsupervised full self-driving as a paid service this June in Austin, TX, and Optimus robot production ramp through 2026 and beyond,” the analyst stated.

$TSLA +1.8% pre-mkt as Benchmark initiates TSLA with a Buy rating and $475 price target. pic.twitter.com/KT6BTTW5kJ
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) February 12, 2025

More potential:

While he sees potential in Tesla, the Benchmark analyst noted that his current model only incorporates vehicle growth.
Thus, there could be “significant potential upside” if the company’s autonomous vehicle program and Optimus are scaled.
“Tesla’s market leadership, near-term catalysts, strong management, and diversified business justify the stock’s market premium,” Legg noted.