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Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA) Tops Q2 EPS by 7c; Sees Deliveries of 35K Vehicles in FY14

July 31, 2014 4:08 PM EDT

Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) reported Q2 EPS of $0.11, $0.07 better than the analyst estimate of $0.04. Revenue for the quarter came in at $769.35 million versus the consensus estimate of $810.57 million.

Record Q2 Model S deliveries of 7,579 vehicles

From the shareholder letter:

We have had an active first half of 2014, and the rest of the year is expected to be even busier. The development of our large-scale battery manufacturing facility, known as the Tesla Gigafactory, is proceeding well. We have formalized our agreement with Panasonic for cell manufacturing at the Gigafactory and remain on track with the site selection process. In addition, we are adding new production capacity at our Fremont factory that will allow us to meet the growing worldwide demand for our vehicles. The speed at which we are executing this capacity upgrade will allow us to exceed 35,000 Model S deliveries this year. Provided that we execute well and there are no serious macroeconomic shocks, Tesla’s annualized delivery rate should exceed 100,000 units by the end of next year.

Q3 & 2014 Outlook

We plan to produce about 9,000 cars in Q3. This target takes into account the effect of the two-week production shutdown related to the transition to the new final assembly line at the Fremont factory. If we had been able to avoid this production down time, we would have been able to forecast Q3 quarterly production at about 11,000 units. After considering our planned production and the need to have more vehicles in transit (including the new RHD models), we expect to be able to deliver about 7,800 Model S vehicles in Q3. Without the planned factory retooling shutdown, Q3 delivery expectations would have been approximately 9,500 vehicles.

We expect non-GAAP automotive gross margin in Q3 to be about consistent with the prior quarter. As manufacturing efficiencies and part costs continue to improve, we continue to anticipate a 28% non-GAAP automotive gross margin, excluding ZEV credits, by Q4 of this year. We expect to lease about 300 cars in North America during Q3, and much more in Q4.

Q3 operating expenses are expected to grow sequentially by about 20% for R&D and 15% for SG&A. Despite a higher count of leased vehicles, investments in R&D, and geographic expansion, we expect to be marginally profitable in Q3 on a non-GAAP basis. Based on our current stock price, we project between 141 million and 143 million diluted shares outstanding in Q3.

We plan to invest between $750 million and $950 million in 2014, an increase of $100 million from prior guidance. We continue to invest in additional production capacity, continued Model X and Model S development, Gigafactory construction, and further expansion of our sales, service, and Supercharger footprints. We have also chosen to slightly accelerate our investments in production capacity and the Gigafactory.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA) click here.



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