Is Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Still the Best AI Stock After Latest Quarterly Results?

We recently published a list of 10 Best AI Stocks to Buy Based on New AI ETF. Since Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) ranks 9th on the list, it deserves a deeper look.

Over the past few months the market has seen a massive influx of AI-related ETFs as investors look to ride the bandwagon of AI investing. A report from Wall Street Journal in June said that all ten AI ETFs tracked by website ETF.com saw inflows this year. One major AI ETF, launched by Roundhill, saw its assets grow to $35 million from under $1 million in just two weeks.

Amid the craze of AI ETFs, does it make sense to start investing in every new ETF? Analysts offer some guidance. A Wall Street Journal report quoted Morningstar analyst Kenneth Lamont, who said that we should look for “thematic purity” while investing in AI ETFs. The ETF you choose, according to the analyst, must be investing in “bellwether” stocks positioned to benefit from the AI industry trends.

There is a new AI ETF in town. KraneShares Artificial Intelligence and Technology ETF (AGIX), launched earlier this month, tracks the Solactive Etna Artificial General Intelligence Index, which captures the performance of AI tech companies. The index seeks exposure to three main AI categories: hardware, infrastructure, and applications. The index picks companies by assigning  AI Exposure Score, which assesses each company’s relevance to AI tech. You can get exposure to AI companies focusing on data centers, LLMs, AI tech to reduce costs and improve customer experience.

In this article, we will discuss the top 10 holdings of this new AI ETF and see whether they have the potential to rise in the coming months and weeks. With each stock, we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Is Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Best AI Stock to Buy Based on New AI ETF?

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Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 74

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) accounts for about 2.61% of the KraneShares Artificial Intelligence and Technology ETF (AGIX).

Tesla shares recently plunged after the company postponed its much-awaited robo taxi event until October. However, Tesla bulls say their core thesis remains unchanged.

Cathie Wood recently set a $2600 price target on Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) for 2029, which presents a whopping 1300% upside potential from the current levels. Wood thinks the robo taxi project has the potential to deliver $8 to $10 trillion in revenue by 2030.

However, many believe Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) won’t be able to live up to the hype around its robo taxi plans. Each robo taxi is expected to have a price target of around $150K to $200K, with some estimates suggesting Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) would need about $35 billion to develop a global feet of such cars. Amid inflation and lack of preference for electric cars, American families will probably stay away from spending a fortune on robo taxis, which could cause a blow to Tesla Inc’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) plans in the future.

Tesla’s latest quarterly results were also weak, showing the effects of pricing headwinds. Elon Musk said during the latest earnings call that “substantial” discounts from Tesla competitors weighed in on the results. While he called these effects short-term, analysts believe the continued rise in low-cost EVs from Tesla competitors would continue to be a problem for the company.

Alger Focus Equity Fund stated the following regarding Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) in its Q1 2024 investor letter:

“Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is an electric vehicle manufacturer with a technological lead in its large and rapidly growing addressable market. In our view, Tesla is a transportation company that is setting the pace for industry innovation. During the quarter, shares detracted from performance after the company reported fiscal fourth quarter results, where revenues and earnings missed analysts’ estimates. Weaker-than-expected automotive revenues were partly driven by a reduced average selling price, which was down 15% year-over-year. Moreover, management decided to forgo providing volume guidance, though they did acknowledge they are in a lower growth phase given the uncertain consumer environment particularly as it relates to high ticket purchases.”

Overall, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) ranks 9th on Insider Monkey’s list titled 10 Best AI Stocks to Buy Based on New AI ETF. While we acknowledge the potential of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than TSLA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: Analyst Sees a New $25 Billion “Opportunity” for NVIDIA and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.