Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading Up 4.6% Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Tesla shares rose 4.6% after Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded the stock from underperform to outperform, lifting the shares to as high as $412.94 intraday.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed but generally constructive: several firms recently adjusted ratings and price targets, while MarketBeat shows Tesla with an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $404.37.
• Investor focus is still on Tesla’s longer-term growth story, with recent positive chatter around China sales growth, possible autonomy/robotaxi developments, and speculation tied to Elon Musk’s broader businesses helping support the stock.

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) were up 4.6% during trading on Monday after Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded the stock from an underperform rating to an outperform rating. The company traded as high as $412.94 and last traded at $408.95. Approximately 49,144,286 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 60,221,113 shares. The stock had previously closed at $391.00.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on TSLA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Tesla from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $475.00 in a report on Friday. Truist Financial cut their price target on Tesla from $438.00 to $400.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $490.00 price target on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $404.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,147,700. This represents a 14.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 48,399 shares in the company, valued at $18,300,145.89. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 55,218 shares of company stock valued at $20,609,455 over the last 90 days. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rising speculation around a possible SpaceX IPO and even a future merger with Tesla is boosting TSLA by increasing the perceived optionality of Elon Musk’s businesses. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s May China sales reportedly rose 22.6%, with exports also surging, reinforcing that demand is improving in a key market. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Tesla filed a significant document with the Nevada Transportation Authority have fueled optimism about potential autonomous-driving or robotaxi-related developments. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles continue to debate Tesla’s valuation, with some framing the stock as expensive on a P/E basis while others argue the market is pricing in long-term autonomy, AI, and energy opportunities. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Tesla’s heavy involvement in the congressional stock-holdings discussion is notable, but it is not a fundamental business catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish valuation commentary remains a headwind, with investors still focused on Tesla’s elevated multiple and the risk that enthusiasm around AI and autonomy may be ahead of execution. Article Title

Institutional Trading of Tesla

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Networth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tesla during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tesla during the second quarter worth $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Tesla by 79.4% during the fourth quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial grew its holdings in shares of Tesla by 66.7% during the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 75 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prism Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Tesla during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Tesla Stock Up 4.6%

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $395.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $416.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $1.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 375.18, a PEG ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 1.80.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $22.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.96 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.89% and a net margin of 3.95%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.27 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current year.

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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