Verus Capital Partners LLC Has $9.99 Million Holdings in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Key Points

• Verus Capital Partners increased its Tesla stake by 20.5% in the first quarter, holding 26,884 shares valued at approximately $9.99 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 66.2% of Tesla.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $402.24; individual targets range from $400 to $485.
• Tesla reported quarterly revenue of $28.24 billion, above expectations and up 25.5% year over year, but earnings per share of $0.33 missed the $0.50 consensus estimate. The company also faces concerns over margins, cash flow, vehicle safety scrutiny and delays to its robotaxi ambitions.

Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 20.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,884 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after buying an additional 4,567 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Tesla were worth $9,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Networth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Tesla during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Tesla by 79.4% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Prism Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TSLA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, July 9th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $400.00 target price on shares of Tesla and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $485.00 price target (down from $510.00) on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $402.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Tesla news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,147,700. This represents a 14.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 19.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Tesla Trading Up 0.8%

TSLA opened at $311.20 on Friday. Tesla, Inc. has a 1-year low of $297.38 and a 1-year high of $498.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.23 trillion, a PE ratio of 288.15, a PEG ratio of 15.33 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $389.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $397.91.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. Tesla's revenue for the quarter was up 25.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Tesla, Inc. will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Tesla could separate or sell its China operations to facilitate a potential merger with SpaceX have fueled speculation that investors could gain exposure to a broader artificial-intelligence, robotics and space conglomerate. Elon Musk called the China-sale report “fake news,” however, making the potential transaction highly uncertain. Tesla reportedly might sell its China business ahead of a SpaceX merger
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s production of its 10 millionth electric vehicle provides a notable scale milestone and reinforces its long-term manufacturing credentials. Rising global EV demand and higher gasoline prices could also support industry growth. Tesla made its 10 millionth EV
• Positive Sentiment: A broad technology rally, stronger results from Microsoft and Amazon, and an oversold condition helped improve sentiment toward Tesla after its post-earnings selloff. Reports also cited encouraging European safety data for supervised Full Self-Driving. Why is Tesla stock rising
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculation about Tesla and SpaceX merging remains a major valuation catalyst, but no deal has been confirmed. A transaction could expand Tesla’s AI and autonomy narrative while also creating substantial regulatory, geopolitical and execution complexities. A Tesla/SpaceX merger may be on the horizon
• Negative Sentiment: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation into approximately 1.2 million Tesla vehicles over reported suspension failures that could cause loss of steering control. Potential recalls, repair costs and additional scrutiny pose risks. US auto safety regulator probes Tesla vehicles
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to question Tesla’s robotaxi outlook after Elon Musk missed several previously announced timelines. Delays weaken the near-term case for the company’s exceptionally high valuation and increase pressure on the core EV business. Elon Musk has missed his own robotaxi timelines
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla’s latest quarter showed an EPS miss, sharply lower margins and negative cash flow while capital spending on AI and autonomy is rising. The combination of weaker current earnings and heavy investment is making investors less tolerant of execution setbacks. Tesla after a rough quarter

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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