Is Nikola A Buy Or A Sell Now? Here's What Fund Sponsorship, NKLA Stock Chart Show

3 years ago 289

Relentless innovation successful the long-haul transport space, the emergence of investing with ESG principles successful mind, and the allure of caller companies going nationalist person spurred large moves successful NKLA banal and scores of others past year.

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Back successful May, Nikola (NKLA) traversed supra a 50-day moving average that aboriginal began to crook higher. Bullish. The substance compartment and artillery electrical motortruck start-up besides finished the 2nd 4th up astir 30%. Yet the 3rd 4th disappointed astir investors.

NKLA banal plummeted aft releasing its second-quarter update. The institution mislaid 20 cents per stock — the astir of immoderate 4th since astatine slightest the 3rd 4th of 2019. In precocious August, shares sank to a caller all-time debased of 9.02 since its Nasdaq debut successful June 2018.

Yet Nikola is holding up supra that low.

On Sept. 12, JPMorgan Chase slashed its terms people connected Nikola shares to 12 from 21. But the banal rebounded successful the week ended Sept. 17, up much than 10% successful higher play turnover than the anterior week arsenic immoderate investors sought bargain prices. And Nikola shares person present returned supra the 10-week moving mean for the archetypal clip much than 2 months.

That's a tiny ray of sunshine connected the NKLA chart.

On Oct. 14,  PGT Trucking announced it signed a missive of intent to lease 100 Nikola substance compartment electrical conveyance (FCEV) trucks. PGT specializes successful multi-service flatbed motortruck transportation. It expects to person deliveries successful 2023 erstwhile accumulation starts astatine Nikola's Coolidge, Ariz., plant. Meanwhile, Nikola is slated to study Q3 results connected Nov. 4.

Who Are The Leading Automakers Today?

A fewer companies successful Nikola's automaker manufacture radical are acold outperforming this year. Check retired Stellantis (STLA), Lucid Group (LCID), China's Xpeng (XPEV), Ford Motor (F) and General Motors (GM). Four of the 5 clasp a Relative Strength Rating of astatine slightest 80 oregon higher. Why care? These stocks outperform astatine slightest 80% of each companies successful the IBD database implicit the past 12 months.

In contrast, NKLA's Relative Strength Rating sits astatine 6 connected a standard of 1 to 99. The banal has outperformed conscionable 6% of each companies successful the IBD database successful presumption of 12-month terms performance. Please spell to IBD Stock Checkup to spot which companies successful IBD's automakers manufacture radical fertile No. 1 oregon No. 2 successful cardinal rankings, including RS, Earnings Per Share Rating, and Composite Rating.

Should You Avoid NKLA Stock?

So for those seeking the champion maturation stocks, is NKLA banal a bargain now? Or is it clip to sell, cut losses, and hunt for a amended maturation stock?

This communicative volition analyse the banal done the lens of IBD's time-tested, research-driven CAN SLIM method, a seven-point paradigm for palmy banal picking.

Back successful June, NKLA struggled successful reclaiming its long-term 200-day moving average. You tin spot akin enactment with the 40-week moving average, drawn successful black, connected an Investors.com play chart.

Even earlier the caller slide, the banal had already wreaked a tremendous magnitude of shareholder damage.


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Following the late-February study connected fourth-quarter results, Nikola mislaid enactment astatine the cardinal 10-week moving average. NKLA banal is present submerged 90% beneath an all-time precocious of 93.99.

At this stage, adjacent aft caller gains, NKLA would request to rally astir ten-fold conscionable to instrumentality to that all-time peak.

Nikola Stock: Is A Short Covering Rally Under Way?

Short interest successful Nikola is inactive elevated and rising.

According to MarketSmith data connected NKLA's play chart, it would instrumentality 5.5 times the stock's mean regular measurement of 10.3 cardinal shares to screen each unfastened short-sale positions.

Put different way, abbreviated involvement of 56.6 cardinal shares comprises astir 20% of the full float. So, if a almighty rebound arises connected a alteration successful cognition regarding the company's future, much abbreviated sellers whitethorn consciousness unit to bargain backmost shares and screen their positions.

Think of abbreviated involvement arsenic nitro substance for a beardown stock. This could springiness NKLA banal a further boost.

Nikola Corporate History


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Nikola debuted connected the Nasdaq connected March 3 done a merger with VectoIQ Acquisition. This peculiar intent acquisition institution (SPAC) traded nether the awesome VTIQ. The transaction reflected an implied endeavor worth of $3.3 billion. Nikola announced it would usage the proceeds to physique retired a hydrogen presumption infrastructure to enactment its FCEV vehicles, including the Tre and the Two.

Nikola besides noted that it had much than 14,000 pre-orders "representing much than $10 cardinal successful imaginable gross and 2-1/2 years of production." In its second-quarter update, the institution aims to present pre-series Nikola Tre BEVs for usage connected nationalist roads hauling lawsuit freight during the 2nd fractional of 2021.

The steadfast describes the Tre semi-truck arsenic a "re-imagined cabover with battery-electric and fuel-cell electrical powertrain options" and the Two arsenic a "high-efficiency hydrogen fuel-cell sleeper for long-haul applications."

Longer term, Phoenix-based Nikola expects to timepiece important income arsenic it makes advancement connected gathering a semi-truck powered wholly by electrical batteries. Earlier this year, Nikola completed the assembly of 5 Tre BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) prototypes, and these trucks are successful the commissioning process.

Executives besides accidental they anticipation to interruption crushed connected the firm's archetypal commercialized hydrogen presumption arsenic good arsenic a centralized hydrogen accumulation facility. Another second-half milestone goal: denote further hydrogen infrastructure and ecosystem partners.

A Long-Term Hydrogen Fuel Play?

Global involvement successful hydrogen fuel is attracting capitalist involvement successful Nikola stock.

In mid-April, the institution unveiled plans to create a hydrogen pipeline web successful Germany with its partners CNH Industrial (CNHI) and OGE, which operates earthy state pipelines. On April 29, Nikola announced a woody with TravelCenters of America (TA) to install hydrogen refueling stations for heavy-duty trucks astatine 2 sites successful California. These sites whitethorn statesman cognition arsenic aboriginal arsenic the archetypal 4th of 2023.

On June 17, NKLA rallied 7.9% successful accelerating turnover connected quality that it has agreed to make a afloat enactment of zero-emission dense work trucks with CNH Industrial (CNHI). Nikola besides announced a woody with Tumim Stone Capital. The plus manager pledged to bargain up to $300 cardinal of the company's communal shares.

On June 22, Nikola said it's investing $50 cardinal successful currency and banal for a 20% equity involvement successful the cleanable hydrogen task being developed successful West Terre Haute, Ind. The extremity here? Convert coagulated discarded byproducts specified arsenic petroleum coke with biomass to make clean, sustainable hydrogen. On July 15, Nikola announced plans to adhd 5 autarkic dealers with much than 51 locations successful Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida, Delaware, Virginia and Maryland.

On July 29, shares plunged 15% to 12.03, hitting the lowest terms level since May, connected quality that Nikola laminitis and erstwhile president Trevor Milton faces 3 counts of transgression fraud. Dow Jones reported that the 39-year-old entrepreneur could look up to 25 years successful situation if convicted connected each counts. Milton pleaded not blameworthy successful a Manhattan national court.

On Sept. 2, the institution announced a pact with Bosch to manufacture substance cells. And connected Sept. 15, Nikola said it and IVECO, the commercialized vehicles portion of CNH Industrial, signed a pact with the Hamburg Port Authority to proviso up to 25 Nikola Tre BEVs for transportation passim 2022.

NKLA Stock Today: Miles Below Its Peak

The banal vaulted 475% aft breaking retired of a cup-without-handle illustration pattern with a 16.35 buy point successful aboriginal May 2020. But today, NKLA banal is inactive successful the aboriginal innings of betterment aft making a expansive swan dive.

Since the institution has nary income oregon earnings, there's nary mode to find if the institution volition successful information conscionable 2 cardinal criteria: fantabulous maturation successful some profits and income connected a quarterly and yearly basis. The C successful CAN SLIM stands for existent growth. It demands robust year-over-year increases successful net and income successful the latest quarter, preferably astatine 25% oregon more.

According to its 10-K filing to the Securities & Exchange Commission, Nikola showed full shareholders' equity of $987 cardinal astatine the extremity of 2020. The institution saw antagonistic operating currency travel the aforesaid twelvemonth astatine -$150.5 cardinal and affirmative currency travel from financing activities of $941 million.

The S In CAN SLIM

The S stands for supply vs. demand for shares. Nikola has reduced its interval to 282.8 cardinal shares. It shows 398.3 cardinal shares outstanding. Management owns 16% of the shares outstanding, according to MarketSmith. This means that executives are eating connected their ain cooking.

Meanwhile, much communal funds ain a involvement successful Nikola. Ownership jumped to a grounds 238 funds astatine 1 constituent during the September-ended quarter. An awesome emergence from conscionable 23 mutual-fund owners astatine the extremity of Q3 successful 2019.

You'd similar to spot the fig of funds owning shares continuing to grow. This would assistance conscionable the I successful CAN SLIM, IBD's seven-point paradigm of winning banal investing. Why? The champion communal funds person analysts who scour the company's fiscal statements, bash exhaustive marketplace research, and adjacent conscionable with institution absorption and competitors. Ownership by a top-performing money is an endorsement of the prime of the company.

The L In CAN SLIM

Does the institution pb the auto manufacturers manufacture group? Not now.

According to IBD Stock Checkup, the banal precocious shows a Composite Rating edging up to 18 connected a standard of 1 (horrendous) to 99 (heavenly). In general, apical maturation stocks amusement a Composite score of 95 oregon higher astatine the commencement of their large terms runs.

Despite a beardown play summation price-wise, Nikola's Accumulation/Distribution Rating shows a mildly affirmative B- people connected a standard of A to E. A people of C+ oregon higher denotes nett organization buying by communal funds, banks, insurers, and pension funds implicit the past 13 weeks.

Is NKLA Stock At A Buy Now?

At this point, NKLA banal is obscurity adjacent a proper bargain point.

That is, the banal has not yet created a bullish illustration pattern. Look for these: the cup with handle, double bottom and flat base.

The champion stocks, aft moving up importantly successful price, thin to close successful terms arsenic immoderate holders instrumentality profits. But they yet bottommost out, enactment their mode done overhead supply, and emergence to wrong 5% to 15% of their 52-week oregon all-time highs. That benignant of rebound tends to mean that the shares held by consenting sellers person present mostly gone to firmer hands successful the market.

NKLA inactive has rather a agelong mode to spell earlier completing the close broadside of a new base. You request a coagulated basal to signifier earlier it tin interruption retired to caller 52-week oregon all-time highs. A superb breakout gives intrepid traders a accidental to marque maximum portfolio gains successful minimal time.

Nikola banal besides needs to support climbing further to the northbound broadside of some the 50-day enactment and yet retake its long-term 200-day moving average. Doing that would beryllium a large start. But astatine this point, Nikola is not a buy.

Plus, cutting losses short to support your hard-earned superior allows you to put successful a much promising maturation institution successful the adjacent term.

Please travel Chung connected Twitter: @saitochung and @IBD_DChung

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