We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Technology Stocks to Buy for Long Term. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) stands against the other technology stocks.

An Analysis of the Technology Industry

The technology industry is one of the key drivers of the global economy. According to MGI research, the global technology industry was valued at $8.51 trillion in 2022 and is forecasted to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.75% to reach $11.47 trillion by 2026. In the United States alone the information technology industry drives more than one-third of the national economy.

One of the latest trends in the tech industry has been the increasing investments in artificial intelligence by both tech giants and start-up companies. According to a July 3 report by Reuters, the US venture capital funding surged to $55.6 billion during the second quarter of 2024. The funding surged more than 47% on a quarterly basis and was mainly driven by significant investments in artificial intelligence companies including $6 billion raised by Elon Musk’s xAI.

However, over the past few months, the technology sector has seen a major sell-off due to what analysts call an “AI bubble”. The sell-off initiated with investors raising concerns over return on investment regarding the premium they have been paying as capital expenditure on artificial intelligence. On August 5, CNBC reported that the “Magnificent Seven” US tech companies lost a combined $1 trillion market value at the start of the trading day. As a result, NASDAQ was down 3%, marking the index’s steepest three-week slide in two years.

We recently covered the AI tech bubble in detail in 10 Tech Stocks to Monitor Amid Market Volatility According to Bernstein Analyst. Here’s a glimpse of the article:

“In the past few weeks, a major selloff in the technology sector, mostly over concerns about return on investments amid ballooning capital expenditures on artificial intelligence (AI), has hit the stock market, sending valuations crashing and igniting fears of an AI bubble at the marketplace that might be about to burst. However, Stacy Rasgon, who has covered semiconductor stocks, one of the most prominent sectors in the AI world, for over fifteen years, has advised investors to stay the course, terming fears of a bubble as overblown. Rasgon claims that even though chances of an air pocket, used to refer to stock plunges, are 100%, he is confident the time for them is not now. He pointed to the very real and massive AI data center build as an example, predicting it would go on for a few years, helping push AI stocks higher.”

Michael Landsberg, Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth CIO appeared on a CNBC interview to talk about the AI bubble. He believes that the AI bubble hasn’t popped yet and what we saw recently was a reset of the market, where the market resets out-of-sync factors, and does not mean that the analysts are not positive about AI. He further added that a lot of AI companies have had a great past six months and are growing their earnings. He believes that ultimately earnings drive any stock and as far as AI stocks are concerned their earnings are growing and will continue to grow, thereby increasing the price.

Moreover, Steve Eisman, Neuberger Berman Senior Portfolio Manager appeared on another CNBC interview termed the recent events as a “Psychological Rotation”. He mentioned that this was not a fundamental rotation, which could have been troublesome, rather it is a psychological rotation that will not hold for long. He further mentioned that Artificial intelligence is here to stay for years and he still sees massive growth opportunities for companies investing in AI.

Our Methodology

To compile the list of 10 best technology stocks to buy for the long term we used the Finviz and Yahoo Finance stock screeners. We searched for technology stocks and sorted them based on their market capitalization. From these stocks, we selected technology stocks that have been in business for 20 years or more and are expected to stay in business for several decades. Once we had the consolidated list, we ranked the stocks that were the most widely held by institutional investors, as of Q2 2024. The list is in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders for each stock.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? 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).

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 85

Tesla, Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is one of the 10 best technology stocks to buy for long terms. It was held by 85 hedge funds in Q2 2024, with total stakes worth $4.97 billion. Citadel Investment Group is the top shareholder of the company with a position worth $8.25 billion.

It is an American multinational company renowned for its energy generation, electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicle technology. The company has a market capitalization of $713.27 billion and has been driving significant revenue and earnings growth for over a decade. Over the past 10 years, the company has grown its top line by 44% and EBITDA by 74%, advocating long-term growth and strong fundamentals.

Much like its decade-long performance, the second quarter of 2024 was also a success for Tesla, Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). It delivered record quarterly revenue of $25.5 billion, up 2% year-over-year, driven by an exceptional performance in its energy generation and storage revenue. The energy generation and storage revenue increased 100% year-over-year to more than $3 billion during the quarter.

While the energy business boosted the revenue for Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), it also generated record profits for the company. The company generated around $1.6 billion as GAAP operating income during the quarter, on the back of more than 9.4 GWh deployments. Moreover, the GAAP net income of the company reached $1.5 billion indicating profitability even under tough market conditions.

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has been making significant leaps with its full self-driving vehicles and is ready to roll out version 12.5 on the roads. As a move to improve acceptability for its autonomous vehicles, management has reduced the price of FSD (Supervised) in North America and has launched free trials for everyone.

Keeping in mind the company’s market capitalization, its ability to generate record revenues under tough market conditions, and its progress in next-generation electric and autonomous vehicle technology, it is safe to say that Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is well-placed for long-term growth.

Baron Partners Fund stated the following regarding Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

“Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) manufactures electric vehicles, related software and components, and solar and energy storage products. The stock contributed as Tesla continued to drive vehicle manufacturing costs lower, accelerate the launch of new models, and invest heavily in its lucrative AI initiatives. Shareholders reaffirmed the CEO’s compensation plan, alleviating personnel and legal uncertainties. Despite material operational complexities resulting in significant shutdowns of key manufacturing facilities and lower sales volume, Tesla presented better-than-expected margins in the quarter. It expects to launch a lower cost model as soon as late 2024, which should result in accelerated revenue growth, reduced manufacturing costs, and increased factory utilization. The company continued to advance its autonomous driving capabilities, expanding its already significant data centers and developing its humanoid robot Optimus. These investments increased confidence in the attractive growth opportunities that remain ahead.”

Overall TSLA ranks 10th on our list of the best technology stocks to buy for long term. While we acknowledge the potential of TSLA as an investment, 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.

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