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Is Tesla’s Earnings Miss and Negative Free Cash Flow a Red Flag for Rivian and Lucid Investors?

Tesla shares sank heavily after reporting quarterly earnings.

Is Tesla’s Earnings Miss and Negative Free Cash Flow a Red Flag for Rivian and Lucid Investors?

Published July 23, 2026 · Category: Finance

Overview

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock sank nearly 15% in value this week after reporting quarterly earnings. Clearly, the market disliked what it heard from the company’s management team, including CEO Elon Musk. But there was some good news tucked into the data-packed announcement.

On the positive front, Tesla’s sales rose 26% year-over-year to $28.24 billion, beating most Wall Street estimates. Gross margins, however, slid from 19.2% in the first quarter to 16.3%, reflecting weaker pricing power and various one-time charges. Weaker margins hurt the company’s adjusted earnings per share, which came in at $0.33, below consensus estimates of roughly $0.50.

Details

Most importantly, Tesla revealed surging capital expenditures, which shot higher 142% year-over-year to $5.8 billion. The company confirmed that capital expenditures for the year will exceed $25 billion to support its ongoing efforts to scale for AI compute, robotics, and chip manufacturing infrastructure. Surging capital expenditures weighed on free cash flow, which came in at negative $1.09 billion for the quarter.

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Source

Originally published at www.fool.com.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Data may be delayed up to 15 minutes. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.