Tesla Analyst: After S&P Snub, All Eyes Are On EV Maker's Battery Day

Tesla Inc. TSLA shares have shed about 26% since the Sept. 1 high of $502.49 amid z tech sell-off and the stock failing to make it into the S&P 500 Index.

Against this backdrop, an analyst at Wedbush sees the upcoming Battery Day as a key catalyst for the stock.

The Tesla Analyst: Daniel Ives has a Neutral rating and $380 price target for Tesla shares.

The Tesla Thesis: Even as Tesla is smarting after S&P's decision, the focus is shifting to the Sept. 22 Battery Day scheduled to held in Fremont, Ives said in a note.

The company is likely to announce a slew of new potential "game changing" battery developments at the event, the analyst said.

This is important for the company, as competition in the EV space is ramping, both domestically and internationally, he said. 

This was underlined by the strategic partnership struck between General Motors Co. GM and Nikola Corp. NKLA this week and a host of developments, particularly in China, Ives said.

Several Chinese EV makers are developing proprietary battery enhancements, the analyst said. 

Technology innovations around Giga/Fremont are key to Tesla's success on the battery front, he said.

Tthe company is close to announcing the million-mile battery later this month, Ives said. 

"In our opinion this battery technology will be very advanced, potentially last for decades, withstand all types of weather/terrain, and be another major milestone for the Tesla ecosystem." 

Tesla could also be working on a number of battery enhancements and new cells as part of its Giga 3 innovations in China, with a focus on storage/ density capacity improvements, the analyst said. 

The Street is also looking ahead to the Battery Day for an announcement regarding the slashing of battery production costs to the key $100/kWh threshold, he said.

This would give Tesla much more financial flexibility around pricing on current and future EV models with price parity, according to Wedbush. 

TSLA Price Action: Tesla shares were trading down 1.51% to $365.75 at last check Friday. 

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Photo courtesy of Tesla.