Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Stake in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Tesla by 18.1% during Q4, increasing holdings to 99,176 shares valued at about $44.6 million.
• Company insiders sold a total of 53,804 shares (≈$20.9 million) in the past three months — including sales by CFO Vaibhav Taneja and director Kathleen Wilson‑Thompson — lowering insider ownership to 19.9%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" and a $398.61 target, while recent bullish drivers (AI chip progress, large investor buys) are offset by legal exposure and related‑party Cybertruck purchase concerns.

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 18.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 99,176 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after buying an additional 15,219 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Tesla were worth $44,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC boosted its stake in shares of Tesla by 0.4% in the third quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 6,558 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $2,916,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Tesla by 2.8% in the third quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. now owns 855 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. VanderPol Investments L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Tesla by 2.2% in the third quarter. VanderPol Investments L.L.C. now owns 1,070 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Tesla by 0.3% in the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,577 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $3,814,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Tesla by 1.1% during the third quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $923,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TSLA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on Tesla in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $460.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Tesla from $313.00 to $280.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Tesla from $480.00 to $465.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and nine have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $398.61.

Insider Transactions at Tesla

In related news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was 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 owned 18,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,188,625.18. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,809 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.33, for a total value of $9,273,947.97. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,166,913.80. This represents a 43.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 53,804 shares of company stock valued at $20,865,598 in the last three months. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Tesla Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:TSLA opened at $400.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 370.94, a P/E/G ratio of 12.15 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The business has a 50-day moving average of $389.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $422.89. Tesla, Inc. has a 12 month low of $222.79 and a 12 month high of $498.83.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.05. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 4.00%.The company had revenue of $24.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Tesla News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI chip progress and analyst lift are boosting sentiment — Elon Musk and company updates about the AI5 chip tape‑out/physical chip drew strong investor attention and were cited as a primary reason for recent gains. Blockonomi reports the AI5 tape‑out and a UBS upgrade helped the rally. Tesla Stock Surges on AI5 Chip News and UBS Rating Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Short‑term technical and market drivers — several outlets point to a trading “buy” signal and broader tech rally (S&P/ Nasdaq strength, easing Middle East tensions) that have lifted TSLA into a rebound ahead of earnings. S&P 500 Posts Weekly Gain
• Positive Sentiment: Buy positioning into Q1 earnings — Wall Street positioning and upbeat profit‑surge estimates ahead of Tesla’s April 22 report are driving flows into the stock as investors bet on margin improvement and AI commentary. Tesla Rallies 5% as Q1 Earnings Loom
• Neutral Sentiment: Terafab recruiting and longer‑term chip ambitions — Tesla is hiring chip engineers in Taiwan for its Terafab project, underlining its long‑term AI/semiconductor push but implying heavy CAPEX and execution risk over years, not an immediate earnings driver. Tesla seeks Taiwan chip engineers for Terafab project
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/branding teasers (Cybercab/“golden era”) and Optimus hints keep excitement high but are speculative — social teasers can lift sentiment but may not translate into near‑term revenue. Tesla Signals 'Golden Era' In Mysterious Video
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile buys by prominent investors (e.g., Cathie Wood) add credibility but don’t remove underlying execution questions — they can support flows but aren’t a fundamental fix. Cathie Wood Just Bought 81,000 Shares of Tesla Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Legal exposure headline: potential multi‑billion dollar liabilities — reporting on >$14B in possible costs from active lawsuits is a material risk that could pressure sentiment and valuation if confirmed or escalates. “$14.5 Billion in Lawsuits”
• Negative Sentiment: Related‑party Cybertruck purchases and disclosure concerns — reporting that SpaceX bought a meaningful share of Cybertruck registrations raises governance and organic demand questions; investors worry about transparency and true end‑market strength. SpaceX Was Buying Cybertrucks in Bulk

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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