It appears that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) may receive some consideration from the S&P 500’s committee as the electric car maker attempts to qualify for the index with its upcoming Q2 2020 earnings results. According to a recent report from Bloomberg Intelligence, Tesla may still be included in the S&P 500 even if it doesn’t post a second quarter profit.
The report, titled “Tesla Inclusion in S&P 500 Index May Require Human Intervention,” describes how the electric car maker could still be considered by the index’s committee despite the electric car maker potentially missing a Q2 profit. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, Tesla’s current size and its position in competing large cap benchmarks could be defining factors that could affect the committee’s decision. Following is the report’s text.
“Tesla’s outsized returns this year are likely driven partly by prospects for its imminent inclusion in the S&P 500, yet a history of 2Q losses could stand in the way. If Tesla repeats that pattern, we expect the index committee to give an exception and add the automaker anyway, given its size and position in competing large-cap benchmarks,” wrote the publication.
If Bloomberg Intelligence’s speculations prove accurate, Tesla could have a better shot at qualifying for the S&P 500. The second quarter, after all, was a challenging period for Tesla. The company was able to post over 90,000 vehicle deliveries, beating Wall Street’s expectations, but its operations in the United States were adversely affected by the pandemic.
This is especially notable considering that the second quarter has traditionally been quite challenging for Tesla, even without a pandemic. That being said, it is difficult to deny the fact that Tesla’s Q2 performance still far exceeded its more experienced peers. Tesla’s vehicle deliveries only decreased by less than 5% year over year, for example, while GM dropped 34%, FCA dropped 39%, and even Toyota dropped 35%.
The S&P 500 requires that companies report a cumulative profit over its previous four quarters, with its most recent quarter showing a profit. So far, Tesla has met three out of these quarters, thanks to a net profit of $143 million in Q3 2019, $105 million in Q4 2019, and $16 million in Q1 2020. With this in mind, even a $1 net profit in Q2 2020 would qualify the electric car maker for the S&P 500.
If Bloomberg Intelligence’s recent report is any indication, however, it appears that Tesla’s chances of being included in the index have taken a step forward.
