Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) Q3 Earnings Preview: Will Elon Musk Finally Turn A Profit?

Analysts expect Tesla Motors (TSLA) to show that it has reigned in its losses when the automaker releases its third quarter earnings Wednesday after more than doubling analysts' loss expectations last quarter. Investors polled by FactSet expected the California-based company, led by South African investor and engineer Elon Musk, to post a loss of 53 cents per share--an improvement from last year's third quarter losses of 1.78 per share and second quarter losses of 1.06 per share. Analysts surveyed by Reuters, however, estimated the company's earnings per share (EPS) would turn positive, hitting 37 cents for the quarter ending in December. Such optimistic forecasts are likely fueled by Tesla's announcement that it saw a 70 percent rise in third-quarter deliveries early in October--welcome news after, two months earlier, it disclosed third quarter expenditure needs of 1.1 billion. The earnings report will come one week after the automaker announced all of its cars currently in production would be self-driving, with "a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver."