Tesla reports Wednesday: the numbers to know before TSLA earnings

Tesla (TSLA) reports results for its quarter ending September 2026 after the close on Wednesday, 21 October. The consensus forecast is earnings of $0.21 a share, based on 10 analyst estimates compiled by Zacks and published by Nasdaq. A year earlier the company reported $0.37 for the same quarter, so the forecast implies EPS growth of -43.2%.

Shares closed at $354.72 on Friday, 16 October, down 2.13% on the day, for a market value of about $1.43T according to Nasdaq. The stock is down 21.1% so far in 2026, and sits 27.6% below its 52-week closing high of $489.88 from 16 December.

What the last report showed

In its most recent quarterly report (a 10-Q for the period ended 30 June 2026, filed 23 July), Tesla reported revenue of $28.2B, up 25.5% from $22.5B a year earlier and 26.1% above the previous quarter's $22.4B. Net income was $1.1B, down from $1.2B. Diluted earnings per share came to $0.32 against $0.33 a year before.

Gross margin was 16.8%, compared with 17.2% a year earlier. Over the latest four reported quarters, revenue totals $103.6B. The balance sheet showed $15.2B of cash and equivalents at 30 Jun 2026.

The earnings track record

Tesla has topped the consensus EPS estimate in 0 of the last 4 quarters, according to Nasdaq's earnings-surprise data. (These EPS figures are on the adjusted basis Zacks tracks, which can differ from the GAAP diluted EPS in the SEC filing.) Most recently, for the quarter ending June 2026, it reported $0.04 a share against a $0.32 forecast, a -87.5% surprise.

Measured from the close before each report date to the close of the next session after it, the shares moved an average of 5.9% (in either direction) around the last 4 releases. The biggest swing was -15.6% around the report dated 22 July 2026.

What the forecast implies

The $0.21 consensus sits 425% above the $0.04 Tesla reported for the previous quarter.