Tesla Q2 earnings come in lower than expected

(Sharecast News) - Electric car maker Tesla posted weaker‑than‑expected second‑quarter earnings after the close on Wednesday despite delivering revenues that came in ahead of forecasts, sending the shares lower in pre-market trading. Tesla said adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.33, well below the $0.51 expected by analysts, while revenues rose 26% year‑on‑year to $28.24bn. Net income slipped 5% to $1.11bn, or $0.32 a share.

The Austin-based firm's core automotive division generated $20.52bn of revenue, up 23% year-on-year, while energy revenues increased 13% to $3.14bn, and services and other revenues jumped 50% to $4.58bn.

However, gross margins fell to 16.8%, down from 17.2% a year earlier, missing expectations as average selling prices declined and regulatory credit revenue softened.

Operating expenses surged 47% to $4.35bn as Tesla stepped up spending on AI and R&D, pushing operating margins down to 1.4% from 4.1%. Free cash flow turned negative, with a $1.1bn outflow compared with $146m generated a year earlier, while capital expenditure soared 142% to $5.79bn. Chief financial officer Vaibhav Taneja reiterated guidance that capex will exceed $25bn this year.

As of 1330 BST, Tesla shares were down 5.97% in pre-market at $351.70 each.



Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com