Benchmark Financial LLC Takes Position in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Key Points

• Benchmark Financial LLC bought a new stake of 1,660 Tesla shares in Q4 worth about $747,000, making TSLA roughly 0.7% of its holdings and its 26th-largest position.
• Insiders are selling: CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares (~$898,876) and director Kathleen Wilson‑Thompson sold 25,809 shares (~$9.27M), with insiders offloading 53,804 shares (~$20.87M) in the past 90 days.
• Tesla trades near $392.50 with a market cap around $1.47T and a high P/E (~363), and analysts show mixed views (consensus "Hold", target $397.26) amid progress on robotaxi/FSD and rising legal/tax scrutiny.

Benchmark Financial LLC bought a new stake in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,660 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock, valued at approximately $747,000. Tesla comprises approximately 0.7% of Benchmark Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TSLA. Networth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Prism Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 66.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Tesla

In other Tesla news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.03, for a total value of $898,875.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,188,625.18. This trade represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,809 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.33, for a total transaction of $9,273,947.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,860 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,166,913.80. This trade represents a 43.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,804 shares of company stock valued at $20,865,598. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Tesla Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of TSLA opened at $392.50 on Tuesday. Tesla, Inc. has a twelve month low of $222.79 and a twelve month high of $498.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 trillion, a P/E ratio of 363.43, a PEG ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.91. The firm's 50-day moving average is $389.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $422.17.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.05. Tesla had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.86%. The company had revenue of $24.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on TSLA shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Tesla in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $460.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Tesla from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Tesla from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and nine have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $397.26.

Tesla News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is expanding its robotaxi rollout (Austin → Dallas/Houston), which supports the company’s long‑term monetization thesis beyond vehicle sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: European regulatory progress: Amsterdam began supervised FSD trials on city streets — a potential catalyst for European expansion of higher‑margin software services. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and coverage note Tesla’s energy‑storage business could offset weakening car margins as credits fade — a diversification story investors view as constructive for revenue resilience. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Street is focused on Q1 guidance and FSD/robotaxi milestones; multiple previews highlight this quarter as a binary event that could swing sentiment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies nudged its price target higher to $350 but kept a Hold rating — a mixed signal that underlines still‑elevated valuation scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Legal headwinds: Tesla settled a wrongful‑death suit in Florida tied to a 2018 crash — settlements and reputational risk increase near‑term uncertainty. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Mounting consumer lawsuits and criticism over FSD hardware/claims (owners suing, safety advocates calling some HW “legally blind”) are creating regulatory and litigation risk that could pressure margins and adoption timelines. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Report that Tesla shifted roughly $18B of profit offshore raised governance/tax scrutiny, prompting investor anxiety about transparency and future regulatory scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley and other sell‑side commentary says Tesla must show “tangible progress” scaling FSD to justify valuation; that skepticism contributed to intraday selling ahead of earnings. Article Title

About Tesla

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.

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