Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Stock Price Up 2.8% - Should You Buy?

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 2.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $293.00 and last traded at $289.85. Approximately 46,161,977 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 40% from the average daily volume of 77,296,133 shares. The stock had previously closed at $281.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TSLA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Tesla from a "moderate sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Tesla from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Tesla from $480.00 to $440.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Roth Capital upgraded Tesla from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Tesla from $226.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Tesla has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $318.77.

Tesla Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $385.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.51. The stock has a market cap of $908.18 billion, a PE ratio of 138.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 2.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.08). Tesla had a net margin of 7.26% and a return on equity of 10.31%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In other Tesla news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,606 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.21, for a total value of $975,191.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,775,792.65. The trade was a 2.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.54, for a total value of $35,254,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,903,716. This represents a 94.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 403,996 shares of company stock valued at $153,721,387. 20.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Tesla by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 70 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Tesla by 75.6% in the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 79 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. GS Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 193.3% during the fourth quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 88 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Tesla in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 66.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.