Tesla (TSLA) has become the poster child for speculative stocks gone wild crushing shorts. The day after earnings Tuesday, the shares had an amazing $16 spread between their intraday high and low after rising some 30% Monday due to better-than-expected earnings. Tesla now has a market value higher than Fiat or Peugeot, which produce millions of vehicles annually. Tesla is set to produce some ~21,000 cars this year. The stock sells at over 75x 2014's projected earnings and has an astronomical five-year projected PEG of (28).
In order to like Tesla's value here, an investor has to believe:
The company will achieve and maintain the highest margins in the auto industry, despite manufacturing in high-cost California.
It will face no manufacturing ramp-up glitches as it greatly expands production.
The major auto manufacturers will not target its niche in the near future and the company will be able to successfully expand its product line.
Finally, one has to believe that Tesla will succeed long term where Fisker Automotive, Delorean, Tucker, and scores of others have failed over the last six decades. Chrysler is the "newest" of the major domestic auto manufacturers, and it was founded in 1925.