Canaccord Pumps The Brakes On Tesla Following Stock's Huge Run

After the massive spike in Tesla Inc’s TSLA stock so far this year, it’s time for investors “to lock in profits,” according to Canaccord Genuity.

The Tesla Analyst

Jed Dorsheimer downgraded Tesla from Buy to Hold with an unchanged $750 price target.

The Tesla Thesis

The clear buy signal seen for Tesla’s shares at the beginning of 2020 has played out, and the risk of China's coronavirus outbreak is a “clear headwind” to the company’s Shanghai facility, Dorsheimer said in the Tuesday downgrade note. (See his track record here.)

Expectations for Tesla’s Model 3 production in China are pinned at 3,000 per week, the analyst said.

The country is on lockdown, and the production expectations for the first quarter may be reset, which needs to be reflected in the valuation, he said.

Tesla is a major player in the electric vehicle space, and the April battery day will help investors understand how formidable the company’s lead is, Dorsheimer said.

The company’s shares could be highly volatile now, and “patient investors will likely get a more attractive entry point,” the analyst said.