Tesla shares edged higher in early Friday trading, but have lost nearly have of their value since mid-December, and a top Wall Street analyst suggests there could be more declines ahead tied to weakness in the group's core automaking business.

Tesla backlash continues as the stock nosedives and Musk pushes conspiracy theories about protests and arsons at dealerships.

The Elon Musk -led electric vehicle company’s stock was up nearly 5% to $232.70 intraday, making back a small fraction of what it’s lost amid an extended sell-off since President Trump took office. The stock is on pace to fall for the eighth consecutive week, even after the uptick on Tuesday.