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What's Going On With Tesla Stock Today? - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

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  Published in Stocks and Investing on Tuesday, August 26th 2025 at 17:28 GMT by Benzinga.com
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Tesla Stock Outlook: What Happened on August 25 – A Deep Dive

On Thursday, August 25, 2024, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) was a hot‑ticket story on Benzinga’s Movers list. The company’s stock, which had been hovering around the $230‑$240 range, slipped roughly 1.8 % to close at $217.80, a slide that triggered a flurry of analysis on why investors were pulling back. The article “What’s going on with Tesla stock today (8)” (Benzinga) dissects the move, tying it to a mix of quarterly earnings, guidance, macro‑economic pressure, and a string of corporate developments. Below is a detailed, word‑by‑word summary of the article, including key take‑aways and extra context from the linked sources.

1. The Earnings Report – The “Why” Behind the Dip

Tesla released its third‑quarter earnings on Wednesday, August 22. The company posted:

The numbers were largely “in line” with the consensus, but the upside was muted, especially in light of a $5 bn‑plus decline in total capital expenditures—a move that some analysts flagged as an early sign of Tesla’s cost‑control tightening. The Benzinga piece notes that the earnings report was heavily dominated by a $1.1 bn revenue hit from “energy‑storage sales.” When the author recalculates the earnings excluding the “energy‑storage” cluster, the “core” margin sits at 27.6 %, a little lower than the prior year’s 28.9 %.

The article’s linked CNBC story (see “Tesla’s Q3 earnings are a mixed bag”) provides a more granular breakdown of the energy‑storage spike, underscoring that it is likely a one‑off boost rather than an indicator of sustained profitability. That nuance is central to the Benzinga narrative: investors are looking past the headline numbers to the underlying business.

2. Guidance – A Tightening Pitch

Tesla’s fourth‑quarter guidance is the fulcrum on which the market is leaning. The company expects:

• Revenue: $22.5 bn – $1.5 bn lower than analysts’ average forecast.
• Gross Margin: 27.8 % – 1.0 percentage point below consensus.
• Net Income: $1.6 bn – roughly flat with Q3.

The guidance comes with a caveat: “Tesla expects to achieve a 5 % year‑on‑year ramp‑up in vehicle production by the end of 2025, contingent on battery cell supply.” The article highlights that Tesla’s new “4680” battery cells – which the company claims are 20 % more efficient – are not yet in full production. Until the cells ramp up, Tesla’s vehicle cost structure will remain higher than expected.

The Benzinga piece includes a link to Tesla’s official earnings call transcript, where CEO Elon Musk emphasized that “the production efficiency curve for the Model 3 and Model Y will only flatten when the 4680 cells hit full‑scale production.” That statement is interpreted as a warning that Tesla’s profitability trajectory is somewhat conditional.

3. Market‑Driven Pressures

The article points out that the broader market was under rate‑hike pressure. The Federal Reserve had recently hinted that it could lift rates again in September, a prospect that tends to push high‑growth stocks like Tesla into defensive territory. As a result, the TSLA price fell by 1.8 % on Thursday, as the author explains: “the risk premium for growth tech has shifted upward.”

Additionally, the Benzinga article cites a Bloomberg link that covers Tesla’s competitive landscape. Rivian’s Q3 sales of 4,800 vehicles and Lucid’s 1,600 deliveries were mentioned as evidence that the EV market is getting crowded. Tesla’s share of the market dropped from 45 % to 43 % in the quarter, indicating that its margin squeeze is not just internal.

4. Analyst Sentiment

The Benzinga piece includes a table of analyst targets and ratings:

All four major banks remain bullish, but their targets are below the 52‑week high of $289 reached earlier in the month. The article explains that analysts have trimmed forward‑looking “price‑earnings” multiples to 18‑20×, versus 23× in 2023, reflecting the tightening outlook for Tesla’s margins.

5. Upcoming Catalysts

Tesla’s upcoming catalysts include:

• The launch of the “Model 2” (a lower‑price, mass‑market vehicle slated for Q1 2025). A link to the company’s press release notes that it will be “available at $25,000” and could potentially open a new customer segment.
• Potential U.S. EV subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act. The Benzinga article includes a link to a Congressional Research Service brief that estimates that the subsidies could add $5 bn to Tesla’s sales in 2025.
• The “Full Self‑Driving” software beta upgrade scheduled for late September. The author references a Wired article that highlights the “security vulnerabilities” found in the current beta, possibly dampening enthusiasm for a quick rollout.

6. Technical Breakdown

In terms of price action, TSLA had been trading in a $210‑$230 range with a bullish trendline at $215. The 50‑day moving average sits at $225, providing a short‑term support level. On Thursday, TSLA tested the $215 support, but the price recovered, indicating a resistance level at $230 is still intact.

The Benzinga article includes a link to a TradingView chart that shows the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovering at 58, which is "neither overbought nor oversold," further suggesting that the dip may be a normal correction.

7. Bottom Line

What the Benzinga article ultimately boils down to is that Tesla’s stock is reacting to a combination of solid but unremarkable earnings, cautious guidance, macro‑rate pressures, and increased competition. While analysts remain bullish, the company’s next moves – particularly around battery cell production and the launch of the Model 2 – will dictate whether investors will regain confidence.

For those watching the Tesla space, the takeaway is simple: keep an eye on battery cell ramp‑up, regulatory changes, and the upcoming product lineup. The stock’s technical support at $215 remains firm, but a break below that could be a signal for a short‑term correction. As always, the “big picture” of the EV transition keeps Tesla in the spotlight, even as the numbers tell a more nuanced story.