Analyst Slashes Tesla Target as Tariffs Rock Big Tech

​Wall Street’s Tesla hype train just hit a serious speed bump.

Dan Ives, one of Tesla’s most outspoken cheerleaders, just took a red pen to his forecast, slicing his price target by a jaw-dropping 43%. The new number? $315—down from a previous high of $550. The culprit? A cocktail of Trump’s tariffs and Elon Musk’s latest political entanglements that are doing the stock no favors.

Tesla’s stock, once a market darling, is feeling the heat. It tumbled more than 7% in Monday’s premarket trading alone, following a brutal 15% nosedive over Thursday and Friday. Year-to-date, Tesla shares are down over 40%, with its Q1 vehicle deliveries sputtering and anti-Musk protests breaking out at showrooms nationwide.

​In a sharply worded note, Ives said, “This situation is not sustainable... the Tesla brand is bleeding as it becomes a political football.” He hasn’t jumped off the bull bandwagon completely, but he’s warning that this is Musk’s defining moment—fix things fast or risk a darker future.

He didn’t hold back on Musk either, calling on him to “read the room” and “step up as a leader.” One big concern: China. Tesla’s deep exposure there could be a liability with fresh U.S. tariffs hitting hard. Ives estimates the company may have already alienated 10% of its future customer base due to self-inflicted branding wounds.

Apple didn’t escape Ives’ scalpel, either. He chopped its price target by 20%, from $325 to $250, citing the heavy tariff toll on the tech titan’s China-centric supply chain. Ninety percent of iPhones are made in China, and the new 54% China and 32% Taiwan tariffs are a massive cost bomb waiting to explode.

Worse, Apple can’t just flip a switch and move manufacturing stateside. Ives estimates it would take three years and $30 billion just to relocate 10% of its supply chain. Translation: brace for impact on margins.

While Apple shares dipped 4% in premarket trading Monday and are down 25% for the year, Ives still sees long-term upside. But in the near term? Expect turbulence.

The market has been rattled, the tariffs are biting, and even the most loyal analysts are sounding the alarm. If Tesla and Apple don’t course-correct fast, the pain may only be beginning.