Welch Group LLC Buys 13,509 Shares of Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Key Points

• Welch Group LLC increased its Tesla stake by 420.6% in the first quarter, buying 13,509 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 16,721 shares worth about $6.2 million.
• Institutional investors still own a large portion of Tesla, with hedge funds and institutions holding 66.20% of the stock overall, while several other funds also modestly increased their positions.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed: Tesla has a Hold consensus rating and an average price target of $403.07, even as some analysts stay bullish and others point to valuation concerns and safety-related federal probes.

Welch Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 420.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,721 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after buying an additional 13,509 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC's holdings in Tesla were worth $6,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PFS Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 590 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $265,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management increased its position in Tesla by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,120 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in Tesla by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Aspect Partners LLC raised its holdings in Tesla by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 225 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Human Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Tesla by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Human Investing LLC now owns 578 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TSLA. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Tesla from $540.00 to $480.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Friday, April 24th. Glj Research reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Friday, June 12th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Tesla in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Tesla has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $403.07.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive on Tesla’s longer-term growth story, with one Seeking Alpha piece upgrading the stock and arguing that two previously speculative “moonshots” are becoming medium-term catalysts. Tesla: 2 Moonshots Have Now Become Medium-Term Catalysts (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla announced expansion plans in Germany, including higher production at Gigafactory Berlin, which supports the narrative that demand is improving in Europe. Tesla Expands Production In Germany, As VW Cuts 100,000 Jobs
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla also benefited from headlines around its energy business, including a major 16-gigawatt power partnership with Sunrun and Renew Home that could strengthen Tesla Energy’s growth profile. Tesla (TSLA) Lands 16 Gigawatt U.S. Power Plant Deal And 25 Gigawatt Hour Europe Pact
• Neutral Sentiment: Elon Musk’s teaser about a highly advanced next-generation Roadster and other futuristic ambitions may support the long-term story, but it is not an immediate fundamental catalyst. Elon Musk Teases Flying Tesla Roadster With Crazy Tech
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla is facing renewed federal scrutiny after a fatal Model 3 crash, including an NHTSA probe and a separate NTSB investigation, which raises fresh concerns about Full Self-Driving safety. Tesla Under Fresh Scrutiny After Model 3 Crashes Into Home, Killing Woman
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla also settled a lawsuit tied to a fatal Full Self-Driving crash while federal investigations continue, reinforcing investor worries about legal liability and autonomy risk. Tesla settles FSD crash lawsuit as federal investigations continue
• Negative Sentiment: Several market commentaries argued that Tesla remains expensive relative to its current fundamentals, with valuation skepticism and underperformance concerns weighing on sentiment. Tesla Stock Is Having a Bad Week and an Even Worse Month

Tesla Trading Up 1.2%

TSLA opened at $379.71 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $405.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $413.17. Tesla, Inc. has a 1-year low of $288.77 and a 1-year high of $498.83. The company has a market cap of $1.43 trillion, a P/E ratio of 348.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.02. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.89% and a net margin of 3.95%.The firm had revenue of $22.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Tesla news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.11, for a total value of $9,985,506.99. Following the sale, the director directly owned 48,399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,300,145.89. The trade was a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 57,824 shares of company stock worth $21,657,588 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 19.90% of the company's stock.

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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