Analysis: SpaceX IPO May Serve as a "Cash Cow" for Tesla, Financial Logic and Profitability Remain Questionable
Odaily Odaily reports that market analysts have pointed out that if Elon Musk's proposed merger between SpaceX and Tesla proceeds, SpaceX may need to issue new shares equivalent to 94% of its current outstanding shares to acquire Tesla, increasing the total share count to approximately 8 billion. However, the financial logic of the transaction faces challenges. Tesla's GAAP net profit over the past 12 months has dropped from $15 billion in 2023 to $3.9 billion. After excluding regulatory credit revenue and Bitcoin gains, its core operating profit stands at only about $2.3 billion.
Analysts believe that this transaction may essentially be an attempt to use a high-valuation asset to acquire another similarly overvalued company, leaving significant uncertainty regarding its long-term profitability and cash flow performance. The combined company's valuation could reach $3.4 trillion, with SpaceX estimated at $1.75 trillion and Tesla's current market cap around $1.65 trillion. Musk may be leveraging the high valuation from SpaceX's impending IPO to support Tesla, which is under earnings pressure. (Fortune)
