Tesla (TSLA) vs. TSMC (TSM)
This page compares Tesla (TSLA) with TSMC (TSM) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.
Company Profile
Tesla (TSLA) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector (Automobiles & Components), whereas TSMC (TSM) belongs to Information Technology (Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.
Tesla (TSLA) trades as a standard ordinary-equity line, while TSMC (TSM) is an ADR tied to a foreign-share or depositary-receipt structure — compare with FX exposure, program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tesla, Inc. | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. ADR |
| Country/Region | United States | Taiwan |
| GICS Sector | Consumer Discretionary | Information Technology |
| GICS Industry Group | Automobiles & Components | Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment |
| GICS Industry | Automobiles | Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Automobile Manufacturers | Semiconductors |
| Market Capitalization | 1,526.44 billion USD | 2,198.70 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | NYSE |
| Listing Date | June 29, 2010 | October 9, 1997 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | ADR |
Valuation
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)
TSMC (TSM) at 36.48 trades in the lower-multiple quartile for Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM), while Tesla (TSLA) at 369.48 sits above its industry benchmark range — a wide gap in trailing earnings multiples relative to peers.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
369.48
- Max
- 49.81
- Q3
- 34.42
- Median
- 20.26
- Q1
- 13.70
- Min
- 6.98
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
36.48
- Max
- 261.27
- Q3
- 146.72
- Median
- 71.81
- Q1
- 47.83
- Min
- 6.57
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)
TSMC (TSM) at 0.54 sits in the cheaper Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) quartile while Tesla (TSLA) at 15.60 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
15.60
- Max
- 2.80
- Q3
- 1.54
- Median
- 0.58
- Q1
- 0.31
- Min
- 0.00
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
0.54
- Max
- 37.84
- Q3
- 22.05
- Median
- 10.55
- Q1
- 4.79
- Min
- 0.02
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)
Measured against book value, both Tesla (TSLA) at 18.56 and TSMC (TSM) at 64.85 look expensive — each Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ) sits above its industry’s benchmark range.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
18.56
- Max
- 4.80
- Q3
- 2.41
- Median
- 1.43
- Q1
- 0.67
- Min
- -1.76
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
64.85
- Max
- 27.08
- Q3
- 14.21
- Median
- 7.77
- Q1
- 3.94
- Min
- 0.24
Valuation at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM) | 369.48 | 36.48 |
| Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) | 15.60 | 0.54 |
| Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ) | 18.56 | 64.85 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield | 0.34% | 32.71% |
Profitability
Return on Equity (TTM)
TSMC (TSM) at 36.21% ranks in the top quartile for Return on Equity (TTM), ahead of Tesla (TSLA) at 4.90%, which sits closer to the industry mid-range.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
4.90%
- Max
- 41.97%
- Q3
- 11.32%
- Median
- 5.13%
- Q1
- -14.13%
- Min
- -49.98%
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
36.21%
- Max
- 39.82%
- Q3
- 17.02%
- Median
- 6.39%
- Q1
- -5.42%
- Min
- -35.15%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)
TSMC (TSM) at 46.51% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Tesla (TSLA) at 3.95%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
3.95%
- Max
- 15.12%
- Q3
- 4.34%
- Median
- 1.53%
- Q1
- -3.18%
- Min
- -13.87%
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
46.51%
- Max
- 57.72%
- Q3
- 20.92%
- Median
- 7.04%
- Q1
- -4.69%
- Min
- -32.92%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)
TSMC (TSM) at 58.11% operates in the top Operating Profit Margin (TTM) quartile, ahead of Tesla (TSLA) at 4.20%, which runs around its industry’s norm.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
4.20%
- Max
- 18.83%
- Q3
- 8.71%
- Median
- 3.75%
- Q1
- -1.25%
- Min
- -14.77%
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
58.11%
- Max
- 65.60%
- Q3
- 21.10%
- Median
- 9.27%
- Q1
- -8.85%
- Min
- -46.64%
Profitability at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| Return on Equity (TTM) | 4.90% | 36.21% |
| Return on Assets (TTM) | 2.23% | 17.32% |
| Net Profit Margin (TTM) | 3.95% | 46.51% |
| Operating Profit Margin (TTM) | 4.20% | 58.11% |
| Gross Profit Margin (TTM) | 19.07% | 61.87% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Revenue Growth at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Year Revenue Growth | -2.93% | 31.61% |
| 3-Year Revenue CAGR | 5.19% | 18.94% |
EPS Growth
EPS Growth at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Year EPS Growth | -47.06% | 46.41% |
| 3-Year EPS CAGR | -33.18% | 19.12% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Both Tesla (TSLA) at 2.04 and TSMC (TSM) at 2.49 carry Current Ratio (MRQ) within their industry mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
2.04
- Max
- 4.97
- Q3
- 2.69
- Median
- 1.85
- Q1
- 1.14
- Min
- 0.38
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
2.49
- Max
- 11.30
- Q3
- 6.09
- Median
- 3.28
- Q1
- 2.37
- Min
- 0.51
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)
Tesla (TSLA) at 0.19 maintains Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) in the lower-leverage quartile of industry peers, ahead of TSMC (TSM) at 0.18, which sits around the industry mid-range.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
0.19
- Max
- 2.53
- Q3
- 1.19
- Median
- 0.72
- Q1
- 0.26
- Min
- 0.00
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
0.18
- Max
- 1.44
- Q3
- 0.63
- Median
- 0.20
- Q1
- 0.04
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 2.04 | 2.49 |
| Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) | 0.19 | 0.18 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -2.60 | -0.80 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Tesla (TSLA) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — often a deliberate choice to reinvest earnings rather than return cash. Meanwhile TSMC (TSM) reports a yield of 0.90%, ranking against industry peers normally.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 5.04%
- Q3
- 2.06%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
0.90%
- Max
- 0.93%
- Q3
- 0.39%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Tesla (TSLA) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile TSMC (TSM) reports a payout of 27.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.
TSLA
Automobiles & Components industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 84.24%
- Q3
- 33.71%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
TSM
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group
27.93%
- Max
- 41.26%
- Q3
- 19.10%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividends at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.90% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 27.93% |
Performance & Risk
Performance & Risk at a Glance
| Symbol | TSLA | TSM |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Year Return | 27.36% | 98.96% |
| 1-Year Volatility | 44.52% | 36.75% |
| Beta | 1.81 | 1.38 |
| 3-Month Avg. Volume | 58.99M | 13.61M |