Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Shares Down 4.8% After Insider Selling

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) traded down 4.8% during mid-day trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $422.00 and last traded at $422.24. 51,255,324 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 62,650,719 shares. The stock had previously closed at $443.30.

Specifically, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,147,700. This represents a 14.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Tesla from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. President Capital increased their price target on shares of Tesla from $424.00 to $428.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Tesla in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Tesla from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Tesla from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $395.20.

Key Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is moving ahead with a $250 million investment in its Berlin Gigafactory, which could expand battery output, add jobs, and support future European production growth. Tesla to Invest $250 Million in Berlin Gigafactory
• Positive Sentiment: New Tesla-linked ETFs are being launched to provide weekly income while still retaining some upside exposure to TSLA, reflecting continued investor demand for the stock. These New Nvidia And Tesla ETFs Want To Deliver Weekly Income Without Fully Sacrificing Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Elon Musk’s China trip kept Tesla in the spotlight, but the meeting produced no major breakthrough on Full Self-Driving approval or trade terms that investors were hoping for. Tesla Stock Slumps After Trump’s China Trip Ends Without “Material Agreements”
• Neutral Sentiment: Tesla is starting work on a Cybercab car wash in Nevada, signaling progress on robotaxi-related infrastructure, though the project is still early-stage. Tesla (TSLA) to Build Cybercab Car Wash in Nevada as Robotaxi Plans Take Shape
• Negative Sentiment: Robotaxi concerns are intensifying after reports of long wait times, navigation issues, and crashes, reinforcing doubts about Tesla’s timeline for autonomous driving monetization. Tesla robotaxi rollout features long wait times, safety concerns
• Negative Sentiment: An Australian judge sharply criticized Tesla in a class-action case, warning the company could have “a really bad time” if it does not cooperate on document production, adding legal overhang. Australian judge criticises Tesla for ‘gobsmacking’ slow progress in class action lawsuit

Tesla Trading Down 4.8%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $386.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $418.28. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 387.38, a PEG ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $22.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.96 billion. Tesla had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 4.89%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tesla

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Tesla by 1.8% in the first quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,193 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $5,276,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC increased its stake in Tesla by 406.4% in the first quarter. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Tesla by 25.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,459,898 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $542,717,000 after purchasing an additional 291,567 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Tesla by 12.9% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 511,170 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $190,027,000 after purchasing an additional 58,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castleark Management LLC increased its stake in Tesla by 39.4% in the first quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 39,180 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $14,565,000 after purchasing an additional 11,080 shares during the last quarter. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Tesla Company Profile

Tesla, Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) is an American company that designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles, energy generation and energy storage products. Founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, Tesla grew into a vertically integrated mobility and clean‑energy company with Elon Musk serving as its chief executive officer. The company’s stated mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, reflected in its combined focus on electric drivetrains, battery technology, renewable energy products and software.

Tesla’s automotive business includes a lineup of battery‑electric vehicles and related services.