Tesla (TSLA +0.26%) is certainly a polarizing business. The bulls believe the company will be worth much more in the future, thanks to autonomous driving success. The bears believe it will remain a challenged car manufacturer.
Nonetheless, this electric vehicle (EV) stock deserves a closer look. If you had invested $5,000 in Tesla five years ago, here's how much you'd have today.
Image source: Tesla.
Tesla shares have tripled since late 2020
Shares of Tesla have rocketed 200% higher in the past five years (as of Nov. 17). A $5,000 initial investment would be worth an impressive $15,000 today. This strong gain has happened despite extreme volatility. The stock currently trades 15% below its peak.
NASDAQ: TSLA
Key Data Points
The business is much bigger these days
Perhaps no metric has had more of an impact on Tesla shares than revenue. During the third quarter (ended Sept. 30), the company reported sales of $28.1 billion, up a notable 219% from Q3 2020. It's worth mentioning, though, that Tesla's revenue declined through the first six months of 2025.
But greater sales over the trailing five-year period means that Tesla delivered more electric vehicles, which is obviously an encouraging trend. And that has helped the business generate consistent net income.
With shares trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 273, however, investors might want to think twice before buying the stock.
