{
  "id": 16148107,
  "title": "I've Covered Tesla for Over a Decade. Here's Whether It's a Stock to Buy More Than 21% Below Its Record.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/ive-covered-tesla-for-over-a-decade-heres-whether-its-a-stock-to-buy",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-23T03:14:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motley Fool",
    "slug": "motley-fool",
    "url": "https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/10/22/i-ve-covered-tesla-for-over-a-decade-here-s-whether-it-s-a-stock-to-buy-more-than-21-below-its-record/?source=iedfolrf0000001"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tesla reported its third-quarter results on October 21, with the stock price currently near $380, more than 21% below its record close of $489.88 in December 2025. On the surface, the quarter appeared positive, with operating income increasing to $718 million from $398 million in the second quarter, and Megapack batteries nearly sold out for 2027. However, a closer look reveals that a significant portion of the profit came from tariff refunds, which don't necessarily indicate the health of Tesla's core business. Revenue for the quarter remained flat year-over-year at $28.0 billion, marking a significant slowdown in growth. Operating income fell by 56% year-over-year, and net income under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) dropped 43% to $787 million. The most critical aspect is in Tesla's quarterly filing, where $786 million in tariff refunds were recognized as lower costs, and $339 million owed to energy storage customers were deducted from revenue. Without these refunds, operating income would have been around $270 million, which is still below the second quarter's $398 million. CEO Elon Musk highlighted the company's near exhaustion of Megapack batteries for 2027 and the anticipation of Robotaxi, Tesla's driverless ride-hailing service, becoming profitable by mid-2027. However, the valuation remains concerning, with the stock trading at approximately 420 times earnings, despite a price dip of more than 21% from its record.",
  "summary": "The EV maker's operating profit recovered last quarter. But was a one-off bump behind it?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nasdaq Markets",
        "title": "I've Covered Tesla for Over a Decade. Here's Whether It's a Stock to Buy More Than 21% Below Its Record.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/ive-covered-tesla-for-over-a-decade-heres-whether-its-a-stock-to-buy-16149049",
        "published": "2026-10-23T03:34:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}