Citigroup downgraded Tesla’s stock to a sell rating from neutral Friday in light of a suit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against the electric car maker’s chief executive, Elon Musk.
The brokerage detailed two paths forward for the Palo Alto, California-based company, one with Musk and one without. And both options aren’t great for stakeholders.
“There’s little question that Mr. Musk’s departure would likely cause harm to Tesla’s brand, stakeholder confidence and fundraising,” read the note. “If Mr. Musk ends up staying on, the reputational harm from this might still prevent the stock from immediately returning to ‘normal.'”
“Ultimately it’s a risk/reward call we approach from a 50/50 chance of ‘bad’ or ‘Ok/good’ outcomes; we think even after the post-close stock pullback (to $274), risk/reward is still tilted negatively,” state the note.
Citi also cut its price target on Tesla to $225, implying more than 25 percent downside from Thursday’s close. Shares are down more than 12 percent in premarket trading following the fraud accusation.
The filing by the SEC in Manhattan federal court alleges that the CEO mislead shareholders on Aug. 7 when he announced he had secured funding for what might have been a corporate buyout at $420 per share.
Specifically, the government holds that Musk issued “false and misleading” statements and failed to notify regulators of material changes at the company.
The SEC is seeking to forbid Musk from serving as an officer or director at any publicly traded company if convicted.
