Why BofA Is Raising Its Nio Price Target Ahead Of The Jan. 9 Nio Day Event

Nio Inc - ADR NIO shares were trading higher Thursday after one Wall Street analyst raised their price target for the stock ahead of the company’s annual Nio Day event.

The Nio Analyst: BofA Securities analyst Ming Hsun Lee reiterated a Buy rating for Nio and raised the price target from $54.70 to $59.

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The Nio Thesis: Lee lowered his Nio net loss estimates through 2022 following the company's $3-billion capital raise in December. The next major catalyst for the stock will be Nio Day on Jan. 9.

The analyst is expecting Nio to announce a new electric sedan that will hit the market by the fourth quarter of 2021.

He's expecting the new sedans will be equipped with Nio’s advanced vehicle chips in anticipation of cooperation with Mobileye to launch a robotaxi service in China.

In addition to the sedan news, Lee is expecting Nio to unveil a 150 kilowatt-hour battery back that will help improve driving range.

In December, Nio announced a new deal with the State Grid New Energy Vehicle Corporation of China to construct 100 charging and battery swap stations in 2021, an agreement the analyst said will help create value for Nio investors.

“We hold a positive view on the cooperation given [a] more comprehensive charging/battery swap facility will enhance user experience as consumers’ range anxiety is mitigated.” 

Click here to check out Benzinga's EV Hub for the latest electric vehicle news.

NIO Price Action: Nio shares were up 1.27% at $49 at last check Thursday. 

Benzinga’s Take: Nio’s growth numbers in 2020 give investors plenty of reason for optimism heading into 2021. Yet Nio shares are already up more than 1,220% in the last year and trading at about 48 times sales, so a significant amount of long-term growth is already priced into the stock.

Photo courtesy of Nio.