Greenleaf Trust Cuts Stock Position in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Key Points

• Greenleaf Trust reduced its Tesla position by 3.5% in the second quarter, selling 1,851 shares and retaining 50,990 shares valued at $21.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 66.2% of Tesla, with several other funds increasing their holdings.
• Tesla’s growth outlook is centered on its Cybercab robotaxi, Full Self-Driving expansion and potential cost advantages, but weak China sales and regulatory scrutiny over driverless vehicles remain significant risks.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $401.74. Tesla trades at a demanding valuation—about 341 times earnings—and recently missed quarterly EPS estimates despite revenue rising 25.5% year over year.

Greenleaf Trust lessened its holdings in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,990 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after selling 1,851 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Tesla were worth $21,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Delta Asset Management LLC TN raised its holdings in Tesla by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 474 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $199,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department boosted its holdings in shares of Tesla by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 1,229 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Tesla by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,576,565 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $663,103,000 after purchasing an additional 13,399 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. grew its position in shares of Tesla by 9.0% in the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 84,793 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $35,664,000 after purchasing an additional 6,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan increased its holdings in shares of Tesla by 2.5% in the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 794,509 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $334,170,000 after purchasing an additional 19,070 shares during the last quarter. 66.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.13, for a total value of $938,498.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 25,972 shares in the company, valued at $9,353,296.36. The trade was a 9.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s Cybercab rollout remains the primary bullish catalyst. The company has added 45 vehicles to its Austin fleet, while CEO Elon Musk says the redesigned manufacturing process could produce Cybercabs more than five times faster. Lower operating costs could help Tesla compete with Waymo and Uber if the technology scales. 45 Tesla Cybercabs Are Now Roaming Austin
• Positive Sentiment: Slovenia approved Tesla’s supervised Full Self-Driving system, making it the sixth European country to do so. Investors view the approval as a possible step toward an EU-wide authorization and additional software subscription revenue. A potential European launch of Cybercab is also supporting the long-term growth narrative. Slovenia clears Tesla’s FSD driver assistance
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs estimates Tesla’s Cybercab could operate at a cost advantage of as much as $0.30 per mile versus rival autonomous vehicles if Tesla reaches its targeted production costs, strengthening the potential economics of a large robotaxi network. Tesla Cybercab Could Beat Waymo on Cost
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to debate whether Tesla can become a successful robotaxi platform or whether Waymo’s operational experience and sensor-heavy approach give it an advantage. The Cybercab’s early fares have varied widely versus Uber, highlighting that the commercial model is not yet proven. Tesla versus Alphabet’s Waymo
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla’s China sales continue to weaken. August domestic sales declined, and the company is offering cash incentives through September 30, suggesting persistent competitive and demand pressure in the world’s largest EV market. Strong exports provide some offset but do not resolve the underlying weakness. Tesla Sales in China Continue Negative Streak
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny remains a major risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining certification and technical data related to nearly 1,000 driverless Cybercabs, raising questions about Tesla’s ability to expand the service quickly and safely. Tesla’s Robotaxi Launch Wasn’t the Moment Investors Expected
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain bearish because Tesla’s valuation is demanding relative to its modest profitability and slowing core auto business. With a very high earnings multiple, the stock is particularly dependent on successful execution of FSD, robotaxis and other future businesses.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Tesla in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $485.00 price target (down from $510.00) on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of Tesla from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Glj Research restated a "sell" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Evercore upgraded Tesla from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $401.74.

Tesla Price Performance

Shares of TSLA opened at $367.81 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.45 trillion, a P/E ratio of 340.57, a PEG ratio of 18.59 and a beta of 1.84. Tesla, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $297.38 and a fifty-two week high of $498.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $354.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $381.84.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.17). Tesla had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 3.82%. The company had revenue of $28.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 25.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tesla Profile

Tesla, Inc is an American technology and automotive company that designs, develops, manufactures and sells electric vehicles and related energy products. Its vehicle lineup has included the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck, along with commercial and specialty products such as the Tesla Semi.

The company also develops energy-generation and storage products, including solar panels, solar roofing systems and battery storage solutions for residential, commercial and utility customers.

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