“Halved” target price! Tesla's biggest fan can't hold on anymore

Under the dual impact of Elon Musk's political stance and Trump's tariff policy, analysts who once firmly supported Tesla have finally surrendered, significantly lowering their target prices. According to reports, one of Wall Street's most optimistic analysts on Tesla, Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities, drastically cut Tesla's stock target price from $550 to $315 on Sunday, a reduction of up to 43%. Ives, as an analyst at Wedbush Securities, had given Tesla a "buy" rating for the past four years, and his previous target price for Tesla ranked second highest among 72 analysts. This dramatic shift sends a clear signal: even Tesla's most steadfast supporters are beginning to have serious concerns about the company's growth prospects. Due to the impact of tariffs, Tesla's stock price plummeted 15% over the past two trading days on Thursday and Friday. As of now, Tesla's stock price has dropped 50% from the historical high set on December 17 and is showing a typical "halving" trend. The Cost of Political Symbolism: Musk Faces a Leadership Crisis "Telsa has essentially become a global political symbol," Ives bluntly stated in a report released on Sunday. "Now is the time for Musk to step up, understand the situation, and demonstrate leadership during this uncertain period." Analysis shows that the brand crisis caused by Musk's own behavior has already inflicted substantial damage on Tesla. Ives estimates: "Tesla has lost/destroyed at least 10% of its future customers globally, and this may be a conservative estimate." Additionally, Ives is concerned about Tesla facing countermeasures against Trump's tariff policy, which will further impact Tesla's sales. Data shows that in the first quarter of this year, Tesla's sales in the European market generally declined, especially in Germany, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands, with year-on-year declines of at least 35%. Tesla's sales in the U.S. market also saw a decline, with a year-on-year drop of 13% in the first quarter. In other markets, the year-on-year decline in the Korean market exceeded 20%, while the Australian market saw a decline of nearly 60%