Nomura starts 'Tesla-like' NIO with Buy rating, $80.30 price target

Nomura analyst Martin Heung initiated coverage of NIO Inc. (NIO) with a Buy rating and $80.30 price target. The stock closed Thursday up 63c to $58.34. The analyst likes NIO for its "Tesla-like top-down approach" in launching its electric vehicle pipeline, starting with its luxury flagship model ES8, followed by "more consumer friendly models and variants." NIO has successfully established itself as a premium auto brand "given car buyers are willing to pay a price similar to those for entry-level models of major European luxury original-equipment-manufacturers," Heung tells investors in a research note. The analyst believes NIO's battery-leasing program "paves the way for the revolutionary concept of battery swapping." His price target of $80.3 is based on a 25% discount of Tesla's current price-to-sales ratio of 26 times.