Tesla shares could swing 10% either way after earnings, options show

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Traders in the options market expect Tesla (NASDAQ:) shares to swing by nearly 10% in either direction by Friday, options data showed.

That is roughly in line with the stock’s average move of about 10.1% after the company’s last eight quarterly earnings reports, according to Trade Alert data.

With Tesla market cap at around $800 billion, such a move would make for a swing in the value of the company of about $80 billion.

The EV maker is likely to report on Tuesday that its second-quarter margin hit a more than five-year low, and CEO Elon Musk is expected to double down on the company’s robotaxi plans and AI products.

Musk had announced earlier this year that Tesla would unveil its robotaxi on Aug. 8, but signaled last week the automaker would take more time to incorporate a design change following a media report that the launch was delayed to October.

Tesla options volume on Tuesday was relatively light with some 770,000 contracts changing hands by 12:20 p.m. EDT (1620 GMT), about half the pace of trading over the last month, according to Trade Alert data.

The stock, which has appreciated about 70% over the last three months as investors were encouraged by news the company would introduce “new models” by early 2025 using its current platforms and production lines.

Tesla shares have fallen after the company reported results in five of the last six quarters, according to Trade Alert data.

The shares were down 1.5% at $247.86 on Tuesday afternoon.

Separately, Alphabet (NASDAQ:), is also expected to report quarterly results later on Tuesday, with options traders braced for a stock price swing of 6.3% in either direction, according to Trade Alert data. The stock has moved about 6.7% on average on the day following quarterly results.