Investing is more about predicting the future than nailing the past.

Consider Tesla Motors (Nasdaq: TSLA). The company posted ho-hum quarterly results this week, including a wider-than-expected loss. Revenue rose a mere 9%, as Tesla sold a handful of its pricy all-electric Roadster vehicles. However, shares of Tesla still rallied on the report. A Needham & Co. analyst even raised his price target on the company.

What gives? Well, the company keeps collecting pre-orders for its cheaper Model S sedan that rolls out this summer. Folks are even starting to plunk down $5,000 to reserve the larger Model X crossover that was just unveiled -- even though Tesla has yet to price that particular model.

Throw in a pair of deals with automotive giants, and it's easy to see why Tesla's expecting business to rev up dramatically during the second half of this year.

Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

  • SodaStream (Nasdaq: SODA) is doing so well that it's buying land to build a new factory in Israel. Who says sodas go flat?
  • Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) is revising its fourth-quarter results lower after a settlement related to the Video Privacy Protection Act. The company wants the act repealed as badly as I want the final act of most Nicolas Cage movies repealed.
  • A week after its larger rival posted strong financials, Limelight Networks (Nasdaq: LLNW) impressed investors with a narrower deficit than what the pros were expecting. Maybe running a content-delivery network isn't such a cutthroat business after all.
  • Zillow (Nasdaq: Z) saw its quarterly revenue more than double on its way to earning three times what Wall Street was forecasting. Real estate isn't back, but Zillow's finding ways to matter during the lull.

Moving on
Now that you've had a glimpse of the past, let's delve into the future. A new report details the latest Rule-Breaking multibagger that has earned Fool co-founder David Gardner's attention. The report is free, and you're closer to it than you might think. Check it out now.