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Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a big part of the future in the automotive industry, thanks mainly to the path Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) paved as the first company to mass-produce them successfully. Today, the dynamics of the EV market could be shifting. New competitors, such as R

By most measures, Vietnam-based EV manufacturer VinFast ( NASDAQ:VFS ) represents a risky ride. In particular, shares have fallen by 35% YTD. However, five-star-rated Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives endorsed a contrarian take, giving the stock a Buy rating with a $12 price target (implying 81% upside potential). Given Ives’ reputation and direct hands-on analysis, speculators may at least want to consider his argument before deciding. I am short-term bullish on VFS stock due to the underlying credibility boost. An Extraordinary Call Warrants a Closer Look at VFS Stock Admittedly, if any other analyst – especially someone lacking name recognition – labeled VinFast as an upside opportunity, I probably wouldn’t even bother. Fundamentally, all investors must understand the stiff challenges that VFS stock and its ilk face. With a sector-wide price war causing tangible damage to individual players, no one should enter the EV space without conducting due diligence. At the same time, Dan Ives represents one of the most respected experts on Wall Street. Per TipRanks, he’s a five-star analyst, currently rated 151 out of 8,725 professional analysts. With a success rate of 59% and an average return per rating of nearly 15%, Ives probably isn’t the type to risk tarnishing his hard-earned reputation on a wild goose chase. Specifically, the analyst believes that VinFast is on the right path toward achieving its core goals. These involve creating a robust product portfolio for global electric transportation while also developing a strong ecosystem to generate long-term profitable growth. “We have seen the impressive VinFast operations in Vietnam firsthand and came away extremely impressed with its EV footprint,” stated Ives in a research note. In addition, TipRanks reporter Marty Shtrubel mentioned that VinFast plans to build another facility in the Asia-Pacific region. The company will also target 50 new markets by the end of 2024. While intensely ambitious, the directive enjoys support from an anticipated $1.25 billion cash infusion directly from VinGroup Founder and Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong. VinFast’s Pricing Could be the Make-or-Break Deal To be sure, Ives isn’t blind to the challenges that upstart EVs encounter. However, he also stressed, “Vinfast EV vehicles are the result of years of R&D, massive engineering resources, complex supply chain relationships, and are now set for primetime.” That’s a bold statement, and the reality of the bullish forecast for VFS stock could come down to pricing. According to VinFast’s website, the company’s lowest-price EV – the VF8 Eco – comes in at $46,000. Fundamentally, the drawback here is that Tesla ( NASDAQ:TSLA ) offers a rear-wheel drive Model Y that tips the scale at merely $32,890. In fairness, VinFast offers a better bumper-to-bumper warranty -- 10 years or 125,000 miles (whichever comes first) versus four years or 50,000 miles. Nevertheless, consumers might jump aboard Tesla, given its social cachet and extensive public charging network. On the surface, that’s not a great setup for VFS stock. However, VinFast is also releasing a more economical model, the VF6. Further, Car and Driver reports that the VF6 might start at about $30,000. Combine that with the aforementioned bumper-to-bumper warranty, and consumers might consider making the switch. Undeniably, VFS stock represents a wildly risky idea. Indeed, options flow data – which screens exclusively for big block trades – shows that major entities have written (sold) call options at various strike prices and across multiple expiration dates. Effectively, they’re placing bets that VFS won’t rise to certain defined levels and are collecting premiums on these wagers. Still, if VinFast starts hitting milestones, the volatile VFS stock could potentially spark a short-covering rally. Financials Point to a Faith-Based Investment In the company’s third-quarter earnings report, VinFast posted revenue of $343 million. That’s up 159% on a year-over-year basis. On paper, that sounds well and fine. However, its net loss widened 33.7% to $623 million. Put another way, VFS stock symbolizes a faith-based investment. Like it or not, the harsh reality of the broader automotive sector is that it imposes a capital-intensive profile. So, it’s no surprise that the previously mentioned EV price war hurt so many startups in the space. Many enterprises are already struggling as is. Adding competitive pressures doesn’t help. Also, it should be pointed out that VFS stock isn’t cheap. Trading hands at 16x trailing-year sales, that’s well above the sector median stat of only 2.05x. Essentially, you’ve got to believe wholeheartedly in Ives’ thesis. What is the Price Target for VFS Stock? Turning to Wall Street, VFS stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on two Buys, zero Holds, and zero Sell ratings. The average VFS stock price target is $9.50, implying 44.82% upside potential. The Takeaway: VFS Stock Could be a Speculative Surprise Under a normal assessment, it’s difficult to look at VinFast as a reliable idea. Having lost so much value in the market, the company also faces severe industry pressures. Nevertheless, Dan Ives’ hands-on view and subsequent credibility boost of the enterprise justifies at least a second look. And underneath the hood, the attractive pricing and warranty combo could help move the needle for VFS stock. Disclosure

Bhavish Aggarwal, India's answer to Elon Musk, is racing to roll out millions of electric scooters and speed his nation to a cleaner future. Some of his mechanics can't keep up, though.

For those not interested in extreme bets on Wall Street, ChargePoint ( NYSE:CHPT ) will almost certainly fail to impress. Incurring a catastrophic loss of value this year, the EV charging infrastructure provider appears shell-shocked. Nevertheless, the business – while incredibly flawed – still offers much relevance. And in a counterintuitive manner, the negative sentiment could be a positive. I am short-term bullish on CHPT stock. CHPT Stock Stares Into the Abyss Indeed, it’s almost impossible to classify public security as a bullish idea following a loss of nearly 78% year-to-date. That’s the awful reality that CHPT stock stares at. Even worse, the fundamentals – troubling industry headwinds, disappointing earnings, and a C-suite shakeup – point to a bleak future for ChargePoint. First, the company plies its trade in an economic sector clouded with demand woes. As TipRanks contributor Steve Anderson mentioned, the price war that erupted in the space led to tangible consequences. While that might sound great from a consumer perspective, lower prices also imply difficulty sparking the combustion-to-electric conversion. Second, CHPT stock tanked heavily following the underlying company’s second quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 earnings report. As TipRanks reporter Vince Condarcuri stated, the EV infrastructure specialist posted a loss per share of 35 cents, missing the consensus view of a loss of 13 cents. And while revenue popped 39% year-over-year to $150.49 million, this tally also missed expectations by $2.3 million. Third, ChargePoint suffered what could only be described as a distracting organizational shift. Abruptly, the company announced the departure of Pasquale Romano from the CEO role. Also, former CFO Rex Jackson departed the company. ChargePoint announced the appointment of Rick Wilmer and Mansi Khetani as replacements for the respective roles. As if the news wasn’t enough of a shocker, the charging firm also stated that it will miss Q3 sales expectations due to slowing demand in its core markets of North America and Europe. Subsequently, CHPT stock fell by over 35% on the painful earnings report. Options Speculation Could Help Boost ChargePoint In an ironic twist, it’s ChargePoint that could desperately use a jolt of energy not to necessarily enliven the business but to keep it from flatlining. Part of the problem is the dominance of Tesla ( NASDAQ:TSLA ). Commanding a massive charging network and winning the charge plug format war (there are two different types of plug formats, and many companies are adopting Tesla's charging format), it’s no wonder that CHPT stock struggled. Unfortunately, the plug format conflict implies that ChargePoint must adapt to the times. Nevertheless, the company still offers tremendous relevance. By integrating charging posts or stations at workplaces and residences, ChargePoint can easily cover gaps that Tesla can’t or won’t. Frankly, Tesla can’t be omnipresent. As a result, it’s not entirely out of the question for speculative bulls to bid up CHPT stock. One factor that makes this setup intriguing is that CHPT prints a short interest of 20.56% of its float. Generally, anything above 20% represents an extremely high benchmark. Plus, with so much interest in put options – especially the Dec 15 ’23 1.50 put – an unexpected price surge can potentially panic the bears. What really should capture interest is the sold calls. According to options flow data – which filters exclusively for big block trades likely made by institutions – major entities sold 10,681 contracts of the Jan 19 ’24 2.00 call on November 21. A day later, they sold 20,062 contracts of the Dec 1 ’23 2.00 call. These transactions are significant because they represent wagers that CHPT stock won’t materially rise above the $2 strike price. But with such a narrow margin of error – CHPT closed at $1.99 today – any upside catalyst could trigger a short-covering rally. Undervalued? It’s All Relative Adding to the possible upside narrative for CHPT stock is the valuation. Is it undervalued? If we’re comparing value against trailing sales, it appears that way. Specifically, CHPT trades at 1.3x revenue. In contrast, rivals EVgo ( NASDAQ:EVGO ) and Blink Charging ( NASDAQ:BLNK ) trade at 1.9x and 1.8x, respectively. However, before you dive into CHPT stock, let’s be crystal clear about something. This undervalued argument only makes sense if you believe that ChargePoint will regain its mojo. If it doesn’t, a seemingly good deal can easily turn into a value trap. Is CHPT Stock a Buy, According to Analysts? Turning to Wall Street, CHPT stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on eight Buys, 10 Holds, and zero Sell ratings. The average CHPT stock price target is $5.98, implying about 200% upside potential. The Takeaway: CHPT Stock Offers a Somewhat Rational Gamble If you’re interested in buying securities because they’re “cheap,” you’ll probably lose a lot of money. While that largely describes CHPT stock, the underlying enterprise distinguishes itself from the also-rans with a relevant business. If EVs continue to roll out and grab automotive market share, charging infrastructure demand should increase. That’s a major catalyst for CHPT’s wildly contrarian narrative. Plus, given its high short interest, the stock can potentially benefit from a short squeeze. Disclosure

A U.S. labor board has dismissed claims that Tesla Inc illegally fired employees working on Autopilot software at a New York factory to put an end to union organizing.

A U.S. labor board has dismissed claims that Tesla Inc illegally fired employees working on Autopilot software at a New York factory to put an end to union organizing.

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Tesla filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Swedish Transport Agency over a workers' strike that has effectively blocked the delivery of license plates for the U.S. auto maker's new vehicles, court documents showed.

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The luxury electric sedan maker Lucid (NASDAQ: LCID) went public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in July 2021. Its stock opened at $25.24 on the first day of trading and more than doubled to an all-time high of $55.52 four months later. The bulls init

Tesla (TSLA) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.

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The NASDAQ 100 Pre-Market Indicator is down -1.75 to 15,980.26. The total Pre-Market volume is currently 35,123,563 shares traded.The following are the most active stocks for the pre-market session: Captivision Inc. (CAPT) is +0.28 at $2.62, with 3,219,781 shares traded., follow

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the Swedish government's Transport Agency over a workers' strike that has blocked the U.S. auto maker's requests for license plates for new vehicles, business daily Dagens Industri reported on Monday.

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