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Tesla bulls and bears are duking it out and one strategist now thinks Elon Musk's car company is "boring"

Happy Friday, team. I'm Phil Rosen, writing to you from New York City. I have a favor to ask: Insider is seeking nominations for the top equity analysts under the age of 35.

My colleagues and I need your help finding the brightest up-and-comers in sell-side research. If you know someone who should be considered, you can submit suggestions here.

(Here's last year's excellent list of rising stars.)

Now — let's check in with Elon Musk.


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Elon Musk
Elon Musk

Elon Musk.Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File

1. On Thursday, shares of Tesla slid roughly 7% after Elon Musk's "master plan" fell short of expectations at the company's highly anticipated investor day, which unfolded over the course of four hours on Wednesday.

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Onlookers were hoping for more insight into new types of vehicles, including a rumored sub-$30,000 model and robotaxis, but Musk was largely mum on the matter.

In his "Master Plan 3" presentation, Musk, alongside several engineers, teased at two new models, but details were otherwise scant (though he did make several colorful comments).

The presentation did, however, lay out broad plans aimed at making Tesla the largest car company in the world.

By 2030, Tesla is looking to hit 20 million car sales per year.

The announcements were tepid enough that strategists at Vanda Research wrote in a note to clients that this month could see a sell-off for Tesla stock.

Over the last two months, retail investors have piled into shares of the EV-maker, but the weaker investor day could catalyze a reversal, according to Vanda.

"If we assume that much of the retail buying was driven by momentum rather than a strong conviction, a stagnation in performance caused by the lack of new 'rumors' to buy, could result in a significant reversal in sentiment, investment flows, and ultimately stock price," Vanda said.

That said, Zacks Investment Research forecasts 30% upside for Tesla, and that climb could happen in 2023.

The firm gives Musk's company a $260 price target over the next six to 12 months, which John Blank, chief equity strategist for Zacks, says is "doable."

"The thing I think we should hear about the Cybertruck is it's going to put a new factory template in place that we have not seen yet, and that's what's taking so long," Blank said in a CNBC interview.

While Tesla has long been touted as innovative and futuristic over the last decade, Bespoke Investment Group concluded that the company is now actually a normal, boring car maker.