
Tesla ($TSLA) shares enter earnings week nearly 30% below their December high, with investors focused on whether results can ease concerns around slowing growth and heavy spending. Tesla ended the week around $354, roughly 9% below its October high of $388. The company reports earnings Wednesday. Third-quarter deliveries came in at 486,532 vehicles on production of 464,391 units. Deliveries were slightly below the year-ago period. Analysts expect revenue of roughly $28.1 billion, essentially flat from a year earlier, while consensus earnings are around 45 cents per share versus 50 cents last year. Cash flow could be the bigger issue. Tesla reported negative free cash flow of $1.1 billion in the second quarter as capital expenditures climbed to $5.8 billion. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) has said Tesla expects to spend heavily on AI infrastructure, data centers, Optimus and Cybercab, with planned investment around $25 billion. Options positioning suggests traders are leaning bullish into the report. Implied volatility is around 42%, while the put/call volume ratio of 0.53 points to heavier call activity. Many calls are concentrated around the $370 strike, implying roughly 4.5% upside from current levels. Analysts have also raised targets, with Jefferies at $400, Tigress Financial at $550 and JPMorgan ($JPM) at $415, while the average target sits near $412.