Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Trims Holdings in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners cut its Tesla stake by 70.2% in the second quarter, selling 24,281 shares and retaining 10,326 shares valued at approximately $4.34 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 66.2% of Tesla.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with Tesla holding a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $401.74. Recent targets range from $130 at Wells Fargo to $420 at Deutsche Bank.
• Tesla’s robotaxi strategy faces both promise and risks: European approval of supervised Full Self-Driving could support software revenue, but a limited Austin rollout, weak Chinese sales, and an NHTSA probe into Cybercab safety and certification could hinder expansion.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lessened its position in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 70.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,326 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after selling 24,281 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's holdings in Tesla were worth $4,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of TSLA. Glenview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth $1,217,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Tesla by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,438 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $1,446,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Tesla by 10.5% in the second quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 201,519 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $84,759,000 after acquiring an additional 19,163 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Tesla by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 112,891 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $47,482,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camarda Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Tesla during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $601,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $420.00 target price on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $400.00 price target on shares of Tesla and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Tesla in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane cut Tesla from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $401.74.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Slovenia approved Tesla’s supervised Full Self-Driving system, becoming the sixth European country to authorize the technology. The decision could support wider European adoption and future high-margin software revenue. Slovenia clears Tesla FSD driver assistance
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs estimates Tesla’s Cybercab could operate for as much as $0.30 less per mile than competing autonomous vehicles if Tesla achieves its targeted $20,000–$30,000 production cost, strengthening the long-term robotaxi business case. Tesla Cybercab cost advantage
• Neutral Sentiment: Tesla has begun limited paid Cybercab rides in Austin, moving its steering-wheel-free robotaxi from concept toward commercial service. However, the small rollout provides little evidence yet regarding pricing, utilization, fleet growth or profitability. Tesla’s Robotaxi Launch Wasn’t the Moment Investors Expected
• Negative Sentiment: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into the certification and safety of nearly 1,000 Cybercabs, focusing on the vehicles’ lack of steering wheels and pedals. The investigation could delay expansion and increase regulatory costs. Cybercab certification regulatory probe
• Negative Sentiment: The Cybercab launch was viewed as muted because Tesla did not provide clear economics, production targets or a nationwide rollout schedule. Investors are also comparing Tesla’s limited Austin operation with Waymo’s much larger autonomous ride network. Tesla stock falls after Cybercab launch and NHTSA probe
• Negative Sentiment: Weak demand remains a concern: Tesla’s Chinese retail sales fell 12.4% in August, while European registrations were mixed. A viral video showing a person repeatedly triggering a Cybercab’s emergency braking also raised additional safety questions. Tesla sales in China

Tesla Price Performance

NASDAQ TSLA opened at $368.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 340.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $356.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $382.15. Tesla, Inc. has a 52-week low of $297.38 and a 52-week high of $498.83.

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). The firm had revenue of $28.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.42 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 3.82% and a net margin of 3.67%.Tesla's revenue was up 25.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Tesla

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TSLA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.