• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Tesla Stock Quietly Regained From Its SolarCity Drop Despite Autopilot Backlash

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 15, 2016, 3:53 PM ET
Photograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images

While Tesla has had a tough few weeks, marked by a fatal accident involving its Autopilot and a missed sales goal, the company’s stock has quietly regained a major drop after surprising investors last month with the news that it planned to buy sister solar company SolarCity.

The resurgence could indicate that investors are slowly becoming more comfortable with the $2.86 billion deal to buy the solar installer. It also could suggest that Tesla’s hard summer hasn’t yet done irreparable damage to Tesla’s brand or Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s goodwill with investors.

Three weeks ago, the electric car maker suddenly announced that it planned to buy SolarCity (SCTY) and create a company that would make and sell solar panels to generate energy, batteries to store energy, and cars to use battery-stored energy for transportation. A combined company using the Tesla (TSLA) brand would be able to cut costs, and sell all this energy tech under one roof, explained Musk to many a confused shareholder.

While Musk called the deal a “no-brainer,” and “blindingly obvious,” the market had another reaction.

Within hours, Tesla’s shares had plummeted in after hour trading by almost 10%, from $220.68 before the news hit on Tuesday morning, to $199.47 by the next Wednesday morning. By the following Monday, Tesla’s shares had dropped even more to a low of $187.87, a close to 15% drop from its share price before the deal was announced.

For more on Tesla and Autopilot, watch:

Investors had a variety of concerns about the deal, most of them financial in nature. SolarCity’s major $3.25 billion in debt was one issue, as well as its upcoming debt payments at the end of 2017. Musk’s 21% ownership and 22% ownership in Tesla and SolarCity, respectively—as well as that the companies’ boards are stocked with Musk’s friends and family—were also reason for concern.

The stock crash of course slashed billions of dollars off of Tesla’s market share. Immediately after the deal came to light, Tesla’s valuation lost significantly more than the $2.86 billion valuation of SolarCity. That loss was a major talking point from many analysts for why the deal didn’t make financial sense.

However, three weeks after the deal, Tesla’s shares have slowly and quietly regained all of that initial loss. On Friday afternoon, Tesla shares are trading at $220.07, slightly down from opening at $222.52 on Friday morning.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

That regain was despite news a few days later that there had been a fatal accident involving a Tesla car with Autopilot engaged and that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had opened a preliminary evaluation into Autopilot’s performance during the crash.

At the same time, Tesla also revealed on the fourth of July that it had missed its car shipment targets for the second quarter in a row and had to lower its 2016 year car shipment guidance slightly from a previous range of 80,000 to 90,000 down to 79,180 for the year. While the miss wasn’t all that much, it’s an unsettling trend for a company that recently decided to accelerate its goal to make 500,000 electric cars per year by 2018, two years earlier than it previously had planned.

Regardless of these two major issues, Tesla shares continued to climb back up. While they could easily fall again at any moment, it seems like investors are at least relaxing a bit from the initial shock and still seem to have some confidence in Musk’s sweeping and audacious vision of Tesla.

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Young man working on laptop with headphones in modern coffeeshop
Future of Workskills gap
AI generated identical résumés for a man and a woman: Hers was more likely to be labeled ‘weak,’ while his got a 97% approval rating
By Eleanor PringleMay 10, 2026
28 minutes ago
‘I lost more money than anybody in the history of capitalism!’: Remembering Ted Turner
C-SuiteFinance
‘I lost more money than anybody in the history of capitalism!’: Remembering Ted Turner
By Shawn TullyMay 10, 2026
31 minutes ago
UK moves warship to Middle East for potential Hormuz mission
PoliticsMilitary
UK moves warship to Middle East for potential Hormuz mission
By Ellen Milligan and BloombergMay 9, 2026
9 hours ago
Iran war is draining world’s oil buffer at an unprecedented pace
EnergyOil
Iran war is draining world’s oil buffer at an unprecedented pace
By Grant Smith, Yongchang Chin and BloombergMay 9, 2026
9 hours ago
Trump Media posts $405 million loss driven by crypto holdings
CryptoDonald Trump
Trump Media posts $405 million loss driven by crypto holdings
By Yash Roy and BloombergMay 9, 2026
10 hours ago
The federal government must issue more debt than it expected as cash flow weakens, and ‘the bond market is shouting’
InvestingDebt
The federal government must issue more debt than it expected as cash flow weakens, and ‘the bond market is shouting’
By Jason MaMay 9, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

'Employers are increasingly turning to degree and GPA' in hiring: Recruiters retreat from ‘talent is everywhere,’ double down on top colleges
Future of Work
'Employers are increasingly turning to degree and GPA' in hiring: Recruiters retreat from ‘talent is everywhere,’ double down on top colleges
By Jake AngeloMay 9, 2026
19 hours ago
Ted Cruz says the quiet part out loud: Trump accounts are Social Security personal accounts as GOP senator reveals 'dirty little secret'
Politics
Ted Cruz says the quiet part out loud: Trump accounts are Social Security personal accounts as GOP senator reveals 'dirty little secret'
By Jason MaMay 9, 2026
15 hours ago
You're probably safe from the Hantavirus outbreak, but here's what you absolutely must not do, experts say
Politics
You're probably safe from the Hantavirus outbreak, but here's what you absolutely must not do, experts say
By Catherina GioinoMay 8, 2026
1 day ago
Red flag test: former CEO explains why he rejects job candidates who say they can start right away
Success
Red flag test: former CEO explains why he rejects job candidates who say they can start right away
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 9, 2026
20 hours ago
Companies are abandoning 'peanut butter' raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
Future of Work
Companies are abandoning 'peanut butter' raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.