Tesla, Inc. $TSLA Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in Tesla by 1.8% in Q4, buying 70,387 shares to hold 3,905,614 shares worth about $1.756 billion, making TSLA its 18th-largest holding (~0.9% of its portfolio).
• Insider selling has been notable: Director Kathleen Wilson‑Thompson sold 26,409 shares for roughly $9.99M and CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares, with insiders selling 80,213 shares (~$30.85M) over the last 90 days while still owning 19.9% of the stock.
• Analyst coverage is mixed — 19 Buys, 17 Holds and 5 Sells (average rating "Hold" and target $398.42); Tesla's latest quarter slightly beat EPS ($0.41 vs $0.39) but missed revenue estimates ($22.39B vs $22.96B).

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,905,614 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after purchasing an additional 70,387 shares during the quarter. Tesla accounts for about 0.9% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Tesla worth $1,756,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of TSLA. Networth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Tesla in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Tesla by 79.4% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Tesla in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Prism Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Tesla in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TSLA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Glj Research reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Tesla has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $398.42.

Insider Activity at Tesla

In other news, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 26,409 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.11, for a total transaction of $9,985,506.99. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 48,399 shares in the company, valued at $18,300,145.89. The trade was a 35.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.03, for a total value of $898,875.92. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,188,625.18. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 80,213 shares of company stock worth $30,851,105. Insiders own 19.90% of the company's stock.

Tesla Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Tesla stock opened at $392.38 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 trillion, a P/E ratio of 359.98, a P/E/G ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 1.79. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $383.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $419.10. Tesla, Inc. has a 1-year low of $271.00 and a 1-year high of $498.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.62.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $22.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.96 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.89% and a net margin of 3.95%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. Analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla tops a new U.S. brand‑loyalty ranking, reinforcing customer stickiness that supports long‑term vehicle demand and aftermarket/service revenue. Tesla Brand Recovery? New Survey Shows EV Giant Top Rating For US Loyalty – Palihapitiya Says 'Once You Drive A Tesla…'
• Positive Sentiment: European registrations show a recovery in several markets (Sweden, France, Denmark, Netherlands), supporting revenue growth expectations outside the U.S. Tesla's European rebound continues in April despite decline in Norway and Spain
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla has expanded unsupervised Robotaxi service in Texas (Austin → Dallas & Houston) and increased its Cybercab/Robotaxi fleet — a tangible step toward the high‑margin mobility business investors prize. Elon Musk's Robotaxi Plans Take Shape With Dallas, Houston Rollout, But Tesla Is Still Far Behind Waymo
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch/others flagged a “symbolic” self‑driving milestone — Tesla hit a numeric safety threshold Musk cited, but real‑world regulatory, mapping and edge‑case challenges remain; milestone supports narrative but not immediate revenue. Tesla just hit a ‘symbolic' self-driving milestone. Real-world success will be tougher.
• Neutral Sentiment: Tesla disclosed >$500M in revenue from deals with Musk‑linked companies (xAI, SpaceX) in an amended filing — this boosts near‑term revenue but raises governance/related‑party scrutiny that could weigh on multiple investor groups. Tesla’s xAI And SpaceX Deals Reshape Growth Story And Governance Questions
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets (Barron's, Susquehanna) are highlighting option trades and volatility as an attractive way to play Tesla given uncertain timing for AI/robotics monetization — signals mixed short‑term flows rather than clear directional conviction. Tesla Stock Is an Attractive Options Play. Here's Why.
• Negative Sentiment: Spain saw a sharp 47.3% year‑over‑year drop in Tesla registrations for April, highlighting regional weakness that could pressure near‑term sales comps and investor sentiment. New Tesla sales in Spain fall 47.3% year-on-year in April
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage (Barron's) warns Tesla is burning significant cash to build its AI/robotics future, which raises near‑term margin and free‑cash‑flow concerns even as investors price long‑term optionality. Tesla Is Burning Billions to Build Its AI Future—and the Stock Is Feeling It
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain skeptical on the robotaxi thesis versus Waymo’s lead; a Seeking Alpha piece argues Tesla's robotaxi upside is materially constrained, which can temper bullish valuation assumptions. Tesla's Robotaxi Opportunity Is Dead In Light Of Waymo's Dominance

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.

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