Tesla, Inc. $TSLA Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Key Points

• Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its Tesla stake by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 458,855 shares and leaving it with 2,260,324 shares valued at about $1.02 billion.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and asset managers holding about 66.2% of Tesla’s shares; several large firms including Vanguard, State Street, Geode, and Norges Bank either added to or initiated positions.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed: Tesla currently carries an average “Hold” rating with a $404.37 price target, even as some analysts have recently upgraded or downgraded the stock amid debates over AI, robotics, and valuation.

Clearbridge Investments LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,260,324 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after selling 458,855 shares during the period. Tesla comprises 0.8% of Clearbridge Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Tesla worth $1,016,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Tesla by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,925,024 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $116,443,762,000 after buying an additional 6,538,720 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Tesla by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 113,762,849 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $50,592,614,000 after buying an additional 344,162 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Tesla by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 65,700,975 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $29,426,070,000 after buying an additional 375,946 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Tesla by 5.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 44,035,949 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $19,583,547,000 after buying an additional 2,403,019 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,128,100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on TSLA. HSBC began coverage on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, April 27th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Tesla from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday. DZ Bank raised shares of Tesla from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $385.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Phillip Securities cut their price objective on shares of Tesla from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Tesla currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $404.37.

More Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan upgraded Tesla and said the company’s long-term story is being driven by autonomous driving and robotics, which is a meaningful endorsement from a former bear. JP Morgan upgrades Tesla to 'neutral', sees robotics driving long-term growth
• Positive Sentiment: Broader commentary around Tesla’s AI and robotics ambitions, including Optimus and robotaxi progress, is reinforcing the bullish case that Tesla could be valued more like an AI platform than a carmaker. J.P. Morgan Upgrades Tesla Stock (TSLA) to ‘Neutral,’ Says ‘TSLA Is at the Forefront of Physical AI’
• Positive Sentiment: Some reports point to improving vehicle sales and stronger autonomous-driving momentum, including expansion of Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin and rising global EV sales led by Tesla. Global Electric Vehicle Sales Rose 16% in April, Led by Tesla (TSLA)
• Neutral Sentiment: SpaceX’s huge IPO and Elon Musk-related headlines are boosting attention on Musk’s broader empire, but they are not direct operating catalysts for Tesla’s core business. SpaceX targets $135 IPO price at valuation of $1.77 trillion
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla remains vulnerable to valuation concerns, with multiple pieces noting that the stock price already reflects a lot of future AI and robotics success before those profits are proven. Buy, Hold, or Sell: Is Tesla Stock a Sell Above $400?
• Negative Sentiment: There are also recurring concerns about competition, robotaxi execution, and softer short-term trading sentiment, which may limit upside even after the upgrade. More Unfortunate News for Tesla Stock Investors

Tesla Price Performance

TSLA opened at $391.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Tesla, Inc. has a 52-week low of $281.85 and a 52-week high of $498.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $395.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $416.06. The company has a market cap of $1.47 trillion, a P/E ratio of 358.72, a P/E/G ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 1.80.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $22.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.96 billion. Tesla had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 4.89%. Tesla's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In other news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,147,700. This represents a 14.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 26,409 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.11, for a total transaction of $9,985,506.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,300,145.89. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 55,218 shares of company stock valued at $20,609,455 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 19.90% of the company's stock.

Tesla 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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