Tesla lifts off, rockets toward best day since 2013

(Reuters) – Shares of Tesla surged 20% on Tuesday, rebounding from a deep selloff and on track for its largest one-day gain in nearly eight years after data showed an increase in China sales and an analyst raised his rating on the electric car maker.

The jump, which added over $100 billion to Tesla’s market capitalization, would end a five-day streak of losses for the company in a Nasdaq slump in which investors spooked by rising interest rates have abandoned growth stocks with heady valuations.

New Street Research analyst Pierre Ferragu raised his Tesla rating to “buy” from “neutral,” and upped his target price to $900 from $578.

Tesla’s stock was last at $669 and it was heading for its strongest one-day performance since May 2013. The stock remains down more than 20% from its January record high.

“As much as the market severely corrected the recent excesses of optimism reflected in Tesla’s valuation, our recent work strengthened our confidence about the solid outlook for the company in the next 2 years,” Ferragu wrote in a client note.

Tesla sold 18,318 China-made vehicles in February, up from 15,484 in January, Chinese auto industry body CPCA said.

After the recent market volatility, Tesla’s stock remains up about 70% over the past six months. Thirteen analysts have neutral ratings on Tesla, while 12 recommend buying and 10 recommend selling, according to Refinitiv.

Tuesday’s Tesla rally accompanied a 4.2% jump in the Nasdaq, as U.S. bond yields retreated and investors picked up battered technology stocks. Tesla was the biggest contributor to Tuesday’s 2.1% gain in the S&P 500, which it joined in December.

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