TSLA vs VUG Stock Comparison

VUG currently leads TSLA in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 53 vs 42. The clearest difference is quality, while TSLA has the stronger momentum profile.

Market data as of Oct 21, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 11 points
TSLA
Consumer Cyclical
vs
VUG
Large Cap Equity
TSLA
Tesla, Inc.
Price
$386
Day move
+3.41%
AIQ Score
42/100
Best edge
Momentum
Sector
Consumer Cyclical
VUG
Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF
Leads
Price
$89.42
Day move
+0.85%
AIQ Score
53/100
Best edge
Quality
Sector
Large Cap Equity

What is the main difference between TSLA and VUG?

VUG leads the current stock comparison as Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF, with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Tesla, Inc. vs Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF

Data as of Oct 21, 2026· market close· TSLA (stock) vs VUG (ETF)· Coverage 65/66 fields· 42/42 directly comparable· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 7/10

VUG leads

VUG leads by 11 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Risk Resilience, but the lead has narrowed from 25 points over 30 sessions.

Competitive: 4 of 4 evidence groups support VUG, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 4 of 4Comparison trend: Weakening
TSLA

Tesla, Inc.

AIQ Score
42/100
AIQ Edge Score
3/10
VUG

Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF

Leads
AIQ Score
53/100
AIQ Edge Score
5/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors VUG over TSLA, 53 versus 42 as of Oct 21, 2026. VUG's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and risk resilience, while TSLA holds the stronger momentum profile. VUG also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 4 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VUG today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. VUG lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 25 to 11 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Tesla, Inc. and Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.

TSLA
+23.2%
VUG
+78.4%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

TSLA $12,324 · VUG $17,842

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

Compare TSLA and VUG against another ticker

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

TSLA advantage
0
VUG advantage
  • Quality41 vs 75
    VUG +34
  • Risk Resilience51 vs 72
    VUG +21
  • Momentum60 vs 41
    TSLA +19
  • Value24 vs 32
    VUG +8

4 of 4 evidence groups favor VUG. VUG’s edge is concentrated in quality and risk resilience; TSLA keeps a meaningful momentum edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.

TSLA0 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +3, not enough on its own to move the overall score.

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 2 active signals are unchanged.

VUG0 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.

New signals

  • EMA Ribbon Compression — neutral, trend, medium horizon

VUG's lead was unchanged in the latest session.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — TSLA and VUG both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

VUG (Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and risk resilience.

TSLA (Tesla, Inc.): the counter-case, on momentum — but at materially higher volatility, 32.9% against 14.6%.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

VUG

VUG on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

Even

Growth figures are not covered for both names.

Value

VUG

VUG on the peer-relative Value factor, by 8 points.

Momentum

TSLA

TSLA on the Momentum factor, by 19 points.

Lower downside

VUG

VUG on Risk Resilience, by 21 points.

Analyst upside

Even

Analyst targets are level or not covered for both names.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureTSLAVUGNote
Implied upside to target+14%—Level
Target dispersion+155%—Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusHold—Context, not a primary driver
Analysts covering14—Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

4 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VUG. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreVUG42 vs 53
FundamentalsNot coveredNot covered
ValuationVUGValue 24 vs 32
TechnicalsVUGPrice vs 50-day 7% vs 0.3%; vs 200-day -3.5% vs 5.9%
Risk ResilienceVUGRisk Resilience 51 vs 72
Analyst expectationsNot coveredNot covered

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of TSLA and VUG and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 11 points.
  • 4 of 4 covered evidence groups point the same way. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on VUG.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20

VUG lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 25 to 11 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 21TSLA leads above the line · VUG leads belowOct 20
Today
VUG +11
42 vs 53
7 sessions ago
VUG +18
39 vs 57
30 sessions ago
VUG +25
37 vs 62
90 sessions ago
VUG +18
44 vs 62

The lead has not changed hands in this window.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

TSLA

0 bullish / 2 bearish

Only TSLA

  • Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (7.24%)
VUGConflicted

2 bullish / 1 bearish / 3 neutral, conflicted

Only VUG

  • Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.48%)
  • ATR Contraction - Coiling — neutral, volatility, short horizon (1.41%)
  • EMA Ribbon Compression — neutral, trend, medium horizon
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon

Both carry 1 more signal that do not separate them: MACD Bearish Crossover.

VUG leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

TSLANo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +3.41%, AIQ 0 points).

VUGNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.85%, AIQ 0 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1TSLA closes the Quality gap — currently 34 points behind, the largest single contributor to VUG's edge.
  2. 2TSLA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3VUG's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 14 points over 30 sessions, and a further 11-point move would eliminate VUG's advantage entirely.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

Split
MetricTSLAVUG
Revenue growth (YoY)26.1%—
EPS growth (YoY)126.7%—
Gross margin18.9%—
Operating margin4.2%—
Return on equity (TTM)4.6%—
Debt to equity0.11—

Performance

VUG leads 4 of 6 windows
MetricTSLAVUG
1 week (5 sessions)-0.4%-3.4%
1 month (20 sessions)-1.4%-2.7%
3 months (63 sessions)-0.1%3.5%
6 months (126 sessions)-3.3%8.8%
Year to date-16.9%9.1%
1 year (252 sessions)-12.8%11.8%

Technicals

VUG has the stronger structure
MetricTSLAVUG
RSI (14)60.842.7
ADX (14)12.818.1
Price vs 50-day7%0.3%
Price vs 200-day-3.5%5.9%
Volatility (1M, annualized)32.9%14.6%

Risk

VUG is the more resilient
MetricTSLAVUG
Beta2.231.34
Sharpe ratio-0.220.47
Sortino ratio-0.330.74
Max drawdown-39.1%-16.7%
Current drawdown-23.7%-4.3%
Annualized volatility45.2%17.9%
Value at risk (95%)-4.2%-1.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, TSLA or VUG?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, VUG is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 53 against TSLA's 42. The edge comes from quality and risk resilience. TSLA is not without a case — it holds the better momentum profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is TSLA or VUG the better buy right now?

VUG carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 4 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

Why does the AIQ Score favor VUG over TSLA?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. VUG leads Quality by 34 points; VUG leads Risk Resilience by 21 points; TSLA leads Momentum by 19 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, TSLA or VUG?

Analyst price targets imply +14% upside for TSLA and not covered for VUG. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, TSLA or VUG?

VUG is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. VUG on the peer-relative Value factor, by 8 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, TSLA or VUG?

Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, TSLA or VUG?

TSLA on the Momentum factor, by 19 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, TSLA or VUG?

VUG is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. VUG on Risk Resilience, by 21 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is TSLA more profitable than VUG?

Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.

Is VUG's lead over TSLA getting stronger or weaker?

VUG lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 25 to 11 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has not changed hands in that window.

What would change the TSLA vs VUG verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: TSLA closes the Quality gap — currently 34 points behind, the largest single contributor to VUG's edge; TSLA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; VUG's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 14 points over 30 sessions, and a further 11-point move would eliminate VUG's advantage entirely.

What do the current signals say about TSLA and VUG?

TSLA: 0 bullish / 2 bearish. VUG: 2 bullish / 1 bearish / 3 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on TSLA is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On VUG it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.