Tag Archives: twtr

First-Week Tesla Model 3 Reservations In, Worth $14 Billion In Sales

Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) tallies more than 325,000 Model 3 reservations in the first week that preorders for the electric car have been open worldwide. The company tweeted the update Thursday morning and said in a blog post that it would be “increasing Model 3 production plans.” Tesla stock was down more than 2%, near 260, in early-afternoon trading on the stock market today . The early reservations pace has run far higher than analysts and Tesla expected. Tesla stock now gets a 72 Composite Rating from IBD out of a possible 99, and this week has been trading at its highest price since September. Shares rose 3.9% on Wednesday, to 265.42, marking a fourth day straight of better-than-3% gains. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters on average are mildly positive on Tesla stock. Of 21 polled, nine call it a buy or strong buy, five a hold and seven an underperform. At $1,000 each, the first week’s Model 3 reservations bring in $325 million for the California startup, which will have to ramp up production dramatically to get all those cars delivered. The reservations reflect eventual potential sales of $14 billion worth of Model 3 cars if all who’ve reserved follow through with a purchase. A huge step towards a more sustainable future: 325,000 and counting https://t.co/XKlywcYhp8 #Model3 pic.twitter.com/a367jCJgaK — Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) April 7, 2016 “A week ago, we started taking reservations for Model 3, and the excitement has been incredible. We’ve now received more than 325,000 reservations, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales, making this the single biggest one-week launch of any product ever,” Tesla said in its blog post, titled “The Week That Electric Vehicles Went Mainstream.” CEO Elon Musk has estimated buyer spending would likely be an average price of $42,000. (Analysts expect that because the deposits are refundable and just $1,000, not everyone who’s reserved will pony up and actually purchase, though others will be joining the line.) Will give an update tonight for the 3 day total, then last one on Wed for the full week. All efforts focused on accelerating the ramp. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2016 The Model 3 is slated to start deliveries in late 2017. Musk has been tracking the Model 3 reservations inflow on Twitter ( TWTR ), from 180,000  in the first 24 hours to 276,000 by the end of Saturday. Tesla debuted the $35,000-base-price car last Thursday night at a launch party at the Tesla design studio in Los Angeles, where IBD tried a ride in the Model 3 . It’s a mass-market vehicle expected to compete with gas-powered cars like BMW’s 3 Series and similarly priced ones from Volkswagen ’s ( VLKAY ) Audi, Daimler ’s ( DDAIF ) Mercedes-Benz and Toyota ’s ( TM ) Lexus, as well as electrics like General Motors ‘ ( GM ) Chevrolet Bolt. While Tesla expects to be able to build up to half a million cars annually by 2020, it hit a speed bump in the first quarter and delivered fewer vehicles than expected — 12,420 — after supplier parts shortages for its latest Model X crossover. Tesla partly blamed its own “hubris” in adding too much technology to the vehicle too early. This Is What It’s Like To Ride In A Tesla Model 3

Weibo Stock Soars As Alibaba Is Rumored Ready To Boost Its Stake

Weibo ( WB ), the “ Twitter ( TWTR ) of China,” saw its stock surge Wednesday on speculation that China e-commerce titan Alibaba Group ( BABA ) might boost its stake in the rising social media service. Weibo stock was up 11% in afternoon trading in the stock market today , near 20. Weibo was spun off in 2014 by Shanghai-based Web portal Sina ( SINA ) which still owns the majority of Weibo’s stock. Alibaba also has a strong stake in the company. With about a 20% ownership of Weibo as of now, “investors naturally believe Alibaba has interest (in) Weibo ultimately,” ITG Investment Research analyst Henry Guo told IBD via email on Wednesday. In May 2015, Summit Research had downgraded Weibo on concerns of increasing competition from other social networks, including from China Internet giant Tencent Holdings ( TCEHY )-owned WeChat. Summit also pointed to Weibo’s sluggish efforts to monetize and the China microblog’s too-pricey valuation back then. Weibo owes much of its current success to a surge in mobile users. Monthly active users rose 34% year over year to 236 million in December, with 83% of those users connecting with mobile devices. Weibo last month reported Q4 earnings that beat expectations. Weibo’s Q4 beat came with light Q1 sales guidance of $111 million to $116 million, up 15% to 20% year over year but below Wall Street’s expectations of $118.2 million, almost a 23% rise. The stock is forming a cup-type base with a potential buy point at 20.66. The pattern is within a much longer consolidation. Weibo stock has traded below its all-time peak of 26.08 since September 2014. Weibo still carries a strong IBD Composite Rating of 96 out of a possible 99. The company went public in April 2014 at 17 a share. After spiking on the initial public offering, shares flattened out, eventually sliding to an all-time low of 8.78 in August 2015, during China’s stock market crash . Sina stock was up 3%, near 49 in afternoon trading on Wednesday. Alibaba stock was up 2%, near 79 and Twitter stock was up 2%, near 17.

Facebook Expands Live Broadcasting Features, Opening Door For Ads

Facebook ( FB ) is bolstering its Live streaming video platform, which should provide more space for advertising to fuel revenue growth. Facebook Live is a platform for mobile-device users to broadcast live video streams on the world’s largest social network. Facebook recently expanded the Live feature to all users, following an exclusive arrangement with celebrities and other public figures. “People are letting their friends discover their hobbies. Parents are using it to share moments in their kids’ lives with their extended families. Athletes are giving people a window into their training. Chefs are bringing their fans into their kitchen,” wrote Fidji Simo, Facebook product management director, in a blog post . The new features include the ability to broadcast only to select groups, such as family. Users can also schedule a live broadcast through Facebook’s Events tab or send out invitations for people to watch. Other features include the ability to add filters that could, for instance, broadcast in black and white. Viewers can also add emoticons to the video feed in order to give a sense of how they feel at different points in the video. There’s also a page dedicated to live broadcasts that people can search. Facebook also rolled out tools that allow broadcasters to see how many people are watching their videos, either live or archived, when they watch and for how long. The tools could be especially valuable for business owners and advertisers. Facebook did not say if it would place advertising on the video feeds but didn’t rule it out. Historically, Facebook has introduced new ad-free platforms, then gradually inserted ads down the road. Speculation is rising that Facebook will open its Messenger chat service to content publishers and ads, creating a multibillion-dollar revenue opportunity and posing a growing threat to Alphabet ( GOOGL ). Facebook Live is comparable to the Twitter ( TWTR ) Periscope app, which launched last year and has logged more than 100 million broadcasts. Twitter has integrated Periscope into the Twitter app feed. The new Live features will be rolled out on the Apple ( AAPL ) iOS and Alphabet Android over the coming weeks. “We’ve been humbled by all the amazing and creative ways that people have used Facebook Live so far, and we’re committed to creating the best experience for everyone who wants to create, watch and interact with live videos on Facebook,” Simo wrote. Facebook stock was up 1% in midday trading on the stock market today , near 113.