What happened Shares of electric-truck start-up Nikola (NASDAQ: NKLA) were higher on Monday. A Wall Street analyst initiated coverage of the company late last week with a bullish note. As of 11:00 a.m. EST, Nikola's shares were up about 6.9% from Friday's closing price. So what Loop Capital analyst Jeffrey Kauffman initiated coverage of Nikola last week, rating the stock a buy and setting a $35 price target for its shares. Kauffman wrote that the heavy-truck industry's transition from diesel to electric power over the next decade is not a question of if, but when. He said that while Nikola's founder may have "over-hyped" the company's technology leading into and after its public-market debut, the company genuinely does have intellectual property that will be attractive to partners. Despite the well-publicized scandals surrounding Nikola, its Tre electric semi will begin shipping next year. Image source: Nikola. Kauffman feels that with its partners' help, Nikola's heavy trucks will begin to hit the road over the next two years, notwithstanding the allegations of exaggerated technology and the departure of founder Trevor Milton in September. Now what While Nikola's partnership with General Motors (NYSE: GM) is still in negotiation, the company has already signed deals with industry heavyweights, including truck-maker CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI) and supplier Robert Bosch. Given that and the stock's recent retreat following the events that led to Milton's departure, Kauffman feels that the risk-to-reward ratio is "better balanced" for auto investors buying now. 10 stocks we like better than Nikola CorporationWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Nikola Corporation wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of November 20, 2020 John Rosevear owns shares of General Motors. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source