Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading 1.4% Higher

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) was up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $178.46 and last traded at $177.29. Approximately 30,362,895 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 101,052,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on TSLA shares. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Tesla from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $245.00 to $195.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Tesla from $320.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. KGI Securities reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $213.00 target price (down from $309.00) on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, January 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Tesla from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Edward Jones lowered shares of Tesla from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $185.90.

Tesla Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.72. The stock's 50-day moving average is $170.77 and its 200 day moving average is $202.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $565.96 billion, a PE ratio of 45.23, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 2.41.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35. The firm had revenue of $21.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.15 billion. Tesla had a net margin of 14.37% and a return on equity of 13.18%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Tesla

In related news, SVP Andrew D. Baglino sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.17, for a total transaction of $2,143,785.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,376,229.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Andrew D. Baglino sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.17, for a total transaction of $2,143,785.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,376,229.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robyn M. Denholm sold 93,705 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.86, for a total transaction of $17,322,306.30. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,772,900. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 302,803 shares of company stock valued at $56,124,840 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 25.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Tesla

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 202.2% in the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 136 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 111.1% in the fourth quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. now owns 190 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock.

Tesla Company Profile

Tesla, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, leases, and sells electric vehicles, and energy generation and storage systems in the United States, China, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Automotive, and Energy Generation and Storage. The Automotive segment offers electric vehicles, as well as sells automotive regulatory credits; and non-warranty after-sales vehicle, used vehicles, body shop and parts, supercharging, retail merchandise, and vehicle insurance services.