Tesla’s remaining Bitcoin reserve has grown 100% from its lowest levels in November 2022, showing that holding BTC can be really profitable.
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has increased by more than 50% since Tesla announced the sale of approximately $1 billion worth of BTC in July 2022. In other words, if the electric car manufacturer owned by Elon Musk had waited to sell today, it would have earned an extra $500 million.
Bitcoin (BTC) is Bigger Than Elon’s Teslas!
Tesla had sold almost $936 million worth of Bitcoin, which is equivalent to 75% of its total Bitcoin assets, in Q2/2022 and made a profit of $64 million. At that time, Bitcoin was about 70% lower than its record level in November 2021.
Initially, Tesla bought $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin at an average price of $36,000 in February 2021. The company then sold $272 million worth of BTC in Q1/2021 and increased its calculations by $101 million.
The company held 10,725 BTC, which was almost 15% lower than the purchase value in February 2021, when the price of Bitcoin was around $16,000 in Q4 2022.
Overall, Tesla made a profit of about $165 million from two separate Bitcoin sales. As of April 14, the remaining BTC assets face an unrealized loss of about $56.6 million. The company’s net profit so far is about $108 million.
Will Tesla Sell Its Remaining Bitcoin (BTC) Reserves?
Interestingly, Tesla’s previous Bitcoin sales came from weaker free cash flows. For example, the $272 million BTC sale in Q1/2021 accounted for almost 93% of Tesla’s free cash flow in the same quarter.
Similarly, Tesla’s Q2/2022 Bitcoin sales came with a 73% decrease in free cash flows compared to the previous quarter. Both sales indicate Musk’s refuge in Bitcoin during Tesla’s cash crunch periods.
The Tesla CEO then explained that the sale was made “to prove the liquidity of Bitcoin instead of holding cash on a balance sheet.”
On the other hand, Wall Street analysts predict that Tesla’s free cash flow will increase by almost $2 billion, a 40% increase from the previous quarter, in Q1/2023. This should reduce the likelihood of Tesla selling significant amounts of Bitcoin in the near future.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making decisions.