Tesla, Inc. $TSLA Stock: Balefire LLC Increases Holdings

Key Points

• Balefire LLC increased its Tesla stake by 22.2% in the third quarter, adding 2,131 shares for a total of 11,714 shares valued at approximately $4.16 million. Institutional investors collectively own 66.2% of Tesla.
• Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares worth about $938,499 to cover tax obligations tied to vested equity awards; company insiders retain a 19.9% ownership stake.
• Wall Street maintains a consensus “Hold” rating with a $412.19 target price. Tesla’s latest quarter showed 25.5% revenue growth but missed EPS expectations, while its high valuation and profitability concerns remain significant risks.

Balefire LLC grew its position in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 22.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,714 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,131 shares during the period. Balefire LLC's holdings in Tesla were worth $4,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of TSLA. State Street Corp increased its position in Tesla by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 117,456,756 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $49,402,312,000 after acquiring an additional 2,761,298 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Tesla by 14.0% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 22,174,884 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $8,243,513,000 after purchasing an additional 2,727,141 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Tesla by 3,205.5% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,459,599 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $9,650,811,000 after purchasing an additional 20,810,386 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Tesla in the second quarter valued at $8,535,612,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Tesla by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,980,122 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $7,636,301,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082,813 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Monday, September 21st. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Tesla from $280.00 to $268.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. KeyCorp raised shares of Tesla to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Tesla and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $412.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China production and European demand improved: Tesla sold 95,366 China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in September, up 5% year over year and marking an 11th consecutive month of growth. European demand also reportedly continued to recover. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor ambitions supported the bullish narrative: Musk’s reported Tesla-SpaceX “Terafab” chip project could give Tesla more control over chips needed for robotics, autonomy, and energy businesses. Analysts including Dan Ives continue to view robotaxis, robotics, and software as potential long-term growth drivers. Dan Ives Tesla robotaxi article
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial vehicle opportunities are expanding: Tesla received a 50-truck Semi order from IMC Logistics and opened its first heavy-duty Megacharger site with Pilot, supporting the company’s efforts to build an electric freight ecosystem. Pilot and Tesla Megacharger announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: European FSD rebranding reduces regulatory friction but creates uncertainty: Tesla renamed “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” to “Tesla Assisted Driving” in Europe after German regulatory pushback. The change may improve approval prospects, but it also highlights ongoing scrutiny and could weaken the value of Tesla’s established FSD branding. CNBC article
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and valuation remain major risks: Analysts expect a double-digit profit decline in the upcoming report, while Tesla’s very high earnings multiple leaves limited room for disappointing margins or guidance. Commentary also points to heavy AI spending and pressure on automotive gross margins. Tesla earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: China sales trends were mixed: September retail sales reportedly fell 9%, despite a 58% increase in Shanghai exports. This suggests regional demand remains uneven and that headline production or shipment growth may not fully translate into local deliveries. Benzinga China sales article

Tesla Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ TSLA opened at $382.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 354.36, a PEG ratio of 20.95 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.94. Tesla, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $297.38 and a fifty-two week high of $498.83. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $355.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $377.22.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.17). Tesla had a return on equity of 3.82% and a net margin of 3.67%. The company had revenue of $28.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 25.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.80 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Tesla

Tesla, Inc NASDAQ: TSLA designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles, energy storage systems and solar energy products. Its vehicle lineup includes the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck and Tesla Semi. The company also develops vehicle software and driver-assistance features, operates a global Supercharger network and provides related vehicle services.

Tesla's energy business offers battery storage products for residential, commercial and utility customers, including Powerwall and Megapack, as well as solar panels and solar roofing products.

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