TESLA: TECHNICAL AND FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS - SHORT SETUP 🔔

Electric cars and autonomous driving are the very forces transforming the auto industry today. As a pioneer in these technologies, Tesla seems poised to threaten the decades-long dominance of the leading conventional automakers.

After Tesla posted huge sales growth and positive net income for seven consecutive quarters, it seemed that the company had mastered not only the technology but also the art of doing business. The company's stock soared 20 times from $40 to $883 in less than two years. Investors who didn't get into positions sooner were disappointed, missing out on an incredible rally.

But now that Tesla stock is down 33% from its 2021 high, maybe there's a chance to buy the stock? Let's analyze whether the recent drop is an attractive entry point into a long position.

The recent decline in Tesla stock can be explained by many factors. To begin with, the company's performance in the most recent quarter did not impress investors. While the company's first-quarter earnings were up from the year-ago quarter, they declined sequentially. Tesla attributed the drop to a drop in the average selling price of its devices. Notably, the company did increase its gross margin, as unit manufacturing costs also declined.

Another problem was that the bulk of Tesla's profits came not from its core car-selling business, but from regulatory loans - which Tesla sells to other automakers, who can use them to avoid penalties under certain emissions standards. Tesla has also encountered some supply chain problems that could persist in the coming quarters.

Meanwhile, the opening of Tesla's plant in Berlin has been delayed by at least six months because of permitting problems. In China, the company is facing increasing competition from local companies, which led to a drop in car sales in April. That said, China is a key market for Tesla, accounting for nearly 30 percent of first-quarter sales.

Finally, last month's car crash involving a Tesla vehicle raised concerns about the safety of the company's autonomous driving features. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is investigating whether Tesla's FSD ( full self-driving) feature is misleading consumers.

Overall, Tesla faces numerous problems. With a high price-to-sales ratio of about 30, which the stock had back in January, a series of problems has clearly alarmed investors, leading to a steady drop in the stock price.

All of this may look scary, but competition, delays in plant construction, and supply problems are not uncommon for a fast-growing car company. Tesla has already proven that it can successfully overcome such obstacles in the past. The company continues to focus on increasing battery range, expanding production capacity worldwide, and developing FSD features.

The recent drop in Tesla stock, caused in part by operational problems, has brought its valuation to a more attractive level. Thanks to rising sales and a falling stock price, the price-to-sales ratio has improved to 18 from 30 in January. Given that the company's sales have grown at an average rate of 50 percent over the past five years, and the company expects shipments to grow at the same rate each year, the ratio looks very reasonable.

While the company's valuation still looks high compared to other car stocks, such a comparison does not take into account Tesla's huge potential in the autonomous driving segment.

Based on autopilot vehicle mileage data, the company could already be many years ahead of its competitors in this key segment, which looks set to change driving as we know it today. Although even Tesla is a long way from fully autonomous driving, the company is already offering its current FSD feature as a separate paid upgrade.

Tech companies and conventional automakers may challenge Tesla for autonomous driving in the future. But Tesla's vertical integration should work better in the long run than any collaboration between a tech company and an automaker. Thus, Tesla is well-positioned to capitalize on its progress in electric vehicles and fully autonomous driving. As it offers an improved autonomous driving experience, people's enthusiasm for Tesla and its stock should only grow.