Short seller Per Lekander said that the Tesla stock price is severely overvalued and may soon face a significant pullback.
"In my opinion, Tesla is the biggest stock market bubble in world history," said the CEO and portfolio manager of Clean Energy Transition in a Yahoo Finance interview last week. "These models are obsolete, and the valuation is crazy. The earnings are falling off a cliff," he added, estimating that Tesla's revenue may fall by 50% this year.
Per Lekander, who has been short selling Tesla stocks since 2020, shares the views of other Tesla bears, criticizing the stock's high valuation and predicting an imminent pullback. The company's sales in the last quarter were lower than expected, indicating that the automaker is struggling to deal with weak demand and increased competition in the electric car space.
Lekander said that the company also faces the risk of several ongoing lawsuits and huge compensation provided by Tesla's board of directors.
"I think, given the lack of growth - 10 times earnings is very generous - my target price is $15...I think it's very dangerous," he said.
Lekander's target price implies a 91% drop in Tesla's stock price from current levels, which he predicts could happen when the company announces its second-quarter results.
Lekander said that considering Tesla's dismal production performance in the first quarter, delivery volumes may improve, but the automaker's profits will be "very bad."
"The company could potentially be in a loss," he said.
Lekander predicted that if the company reports losses for two consecutive quarters, its stock price could easily see a double-digit loss.
"Once it starts to drop, it will continue to drop...I think we are very, very close to a turning point because so far, the situation has been very unstable."