12/08/2020
Tesla is taking advantage of its surging shares by going back to the capital markets for the third time in ten months and raising as much as $5 billion of common stock. The raise could lead Tesla’s cash balance to approach $20 billion after all shares are issued.
Elon Musk is again seizing on a rally that started as the maker of the Model 3 began to post quarterly profits in the second half of last year. The opening of a plant near Shanghai, addition of the Model Y crossover to the lineup, advances in battery technology and anticipation of inclusion into the S&P 500 Index has led investors to assign Tesla a much richer valuation than any other auto manufacturer in the world.
The latest capital raise follows an issue of $5 billion shares in September and a $2 billion offering in February. That has helped Tesla more than double planned spending on plants and equipment this year. The new money will support plans announced in October to double the carmaker’s capital-expenditures budget during the next two years to a range of $4.5 billion to $6 billion.
