Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Class A Common StockSpaceX has negative free cash flow of nearly $20B annually and lost $8.7B, making it riskier.
Tesla appears to be the less risky investment compared to SpaceX, according to an analysis by The Motley Fool. SpaceX, which recently went public, generated $19.3 billion in revenue over the past year but lost $8.7 billion and is burning nearly $20 billion in negative free cash flow annually, despite having about $70 billion in net cash. Tesla, by contrast, has annual sales approaching $98 billion, an operating profit margin of 4.9%, and positive free cash flow of $7 billion per year, adding to its $30 billion in net cash. Both companies are betting heavily on future industries—SpaceX on artificial intelligence, which it projects will account for $26.5 trillion of a $28.5 trillion total addressable market, and Tesla on robotics, with Elon Musk envisioning 1 billion humanoid robots annually and a market value above $25 trillion. SpaceX's Starlink subsidiary is its only profitable unit, earning $4.4 billion in operating profit last year, while Tesla's energy business boasts 30% gross margins, double those of its automotive unit.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Class A Common StockSpaceX has negative free cash flow of nearly $20B annually and lost $8.7B, making it riskier.
Tesla IncTesla has positive free cash flow of $7B per year and an operating profit margin of 4.9%, making it safer.