Nikola Stock Keeps Falling After Short-Seller Calls Its Technology Into Question

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Nikola

has a brand new detractor. And the inventory felt it Thursday.

Hindenburg Analysis revealed a lengthy report Thursday morning detailing an inventory of issues the agency has with Nikola (ticker: NLKA). At its core, the report seems to mirror a perception that Nikola administration overstated its internally developed battery and fuel-cell capabilities.

“Nikola introduced [in 2019] it will revolutionize the battery trade,” the Hindenburg authors wrote. Nikola deliberate to purchase new know-how, however the deal, based on Hindenburg, fell by. “Nikola has by no means walked again claims regarding its battery know-how. As an alternative, [founder Trevor Milton] continued to publicly hype the know-how.”

Nikola shares fell 11.3% Thursday, closing at $37.57. The inventory is down one other 3% on Friday. That also leaves the replenish roughly 6% for the week. Shares surged 41% on Tuesday after the corporate introduced a partnership with

General Motors

(GM).

The GM deal performs an fascinating position within the Hindenburg report. GM is getting an 11% stake within the firm and agreeing to offer Nikola with hydrogen gasoline cells and batteries for its automobiles. GM can even be offering engineering help and can manufacture the corporate’s Badger pickup truck. Nikola will likely be chargeable for gross sales and advertising of the Badger.

Wall Avenue wrote that the settlement validated Nikola’s enterprise technique and made its inventory much less dangerous. In a single sense, Nikola, earlier than the GM deal, was a wager of administration’s means to design and supply batteries and gasoline cells, and manufacture automobiles whereas constructing out a nationwide community of hydrogen filling stations to gasoline its deliberate zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

The deal may point out that GM’s fuel-cell and battery know-how is superior to what was being developed internally by the startup. The corporate didn’t touch upon its R&D efforts, however did inform Barron’s in an emailed assertion: “Nikola has been vetted by among the world’s most credible firms and buyers. We’re on a path to achievement and won’t waver primarily based on a report full of deceptive data trying to control our inventory.”

After the GM deal, Nikola has much less danger associated to battery and fuel-cell growth, in addition to manufacturing. The inventory continues to be a wager on the corporate’s means to offer low-cost hydrogen fuel for its gasoline cells. Nikola believes it could get the price of hydrogen manufacturing beneath $4 a kilogram, a stage that will make the gasoline aggressive with diesel.

Wall Avenue has raised some questions on Nikola’s battery know-how. Cowen analyst Jeffery Osborne, as an example, commented on Nikola’s November 2019 claims that it developed a battery with twice the vitality density of prevailing know-how.

“In subsequent press interviews, it turned clear that Nikola has solely manufactured these cells with smaller type issue pouch cells relative to what’s wanted in a automobile or truck,” Osborne wrote in his June analysis report. Nikola’s battery know-how wasn’t prepared for manufacturing.

Osborne charges Nikola shares Purchase and has a Avenue-high $79 value goal for the inventory.

Hindenburg disclosed in its report that it’s brief Nikola inventory. When going brief, bearish buyers borrow inventory and promote it, betting on value declines. That isn’t uncommon when brief experiences are revealed, nevertheless it does give Hindenburg a monetary curiosity in seeing Nikola inventory decrease.

Niloka inventory continues to be up about 230% because it introduced plans to turn into a publicly traded entity by a merger with a SPAC in early March. The

Dow Jones Industrial Average

and

S&P 500,

for comparability, are up about 6% and 11%, respectively, over the identical span.

Write to Al Root at [email protected] and Max A. Cherney at [email protected]