Why Tesla Stock is a Buy Despite Elon's Flip Flopping on Employee Headcount and Economic Outlook

NASDAQ:TSLA CEO Elon Musk Now Says Overall Headcount will Increase. Let's take a quick look at recent headlines and see if TSLA is a good investment despite Elon's flip-flopping and the noise in the market. Here are some recent headlines over the last few days from Fox News, Reuters, and New York Post. After emailing employees about job cuts at Tesla, Elon Musk says the total headcount at the company will increase. The Tesla CEO sent emails to employees this week saying he had a "super bad feeling" about the economy and needed to "pause hiring worldwide." Tesla's employee headcount will rise over the next year, Elon Musk said Saturday -- despite an earlier report that he planned to make cuts at his company over concerns about the economy. Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Saturday that the electric vehicle maker's total headcount will increase over the next 12 months, but the number of salaried staff should be little changed. Here's why TSLA is a golden investment amid the ongoing tech sell-off The stock market has been a circus show in recent history, due to record-high inflation levels, the Fed's decision to raise interest rates in response, and lingering concerns in connection to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Even big tech has struggled, with premier companies posting weaker-than-anticipated financial reports in recent quarters. The panic has sent investors swarming to value stocks and safer assets for protection, leaving the most tech stocks drowning in the red. For long-term investors, this doesn't mean that we should completely ignore tech stocks for the time being. In fact, there are several companies that continue to deliver strong financial results in spite of the challenges our current economy presents. One of those companies, Tesla, is a top performer due to its strong retail and institutional support. TSLA is currently up almost 17.41% over the past year, the Auto Manufacturers juggernaut grants investors a handsome valuation at present levels. Tesla has been a resilient business In the past quarters, TSLA has beaten earnings estimates 55.32%. In the Q1 of 2022, TSLA increased both their total sales and EPS by 39.74% year over year, up to $18.76B and $3.2, respectively. Fortunately for Tesla, Inc. and its shareholders, the company's elite balance sheet and cash generation will comfortably facilitate growth for the auto giant in the future. The company has $17.58B in cash on its balance sheet, and it continues to generate funds at a steady pace. In the past 12 months, Tesla, Inc. has produced $3.48B in free cash flow (FCF), and its Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is 117.08%. The company's robust balance sheet and consistent cash generation provide financial flexibility to increase its dividends, buy back shares, and grow its business in the years to follow. TSLA's financials show a strong valuation The recent stock price pullback year to date has made TSLA stock a very tempting buy. The stock carries a price-to-earnings multiple of 95.07 today, representing its lowest trading level since 2 years ago TSLA's current earnings multiple is also largely in line with its five-year historical average of 86.61. But given that TSLA has been able to maintain solid growth in recent quarters -- especially compared to the rest of big tech -- investors should be thrilled about buying the stock at existing levels. TSLA is a good play on the turbulent stock market today TSLA is a wise investment today -- the world-leading Consumer Cyclical company continues to expand its business at a steady rate in an economy where many of its peers are suffering from growing pains. The stock is also trading at its lowest valuation since a few years ago supplying investors with a favorable margin of safety. If you're searching for a growth stock to combat the market's volatility today, TSLA might be the choice for you.