Tesla's (TSLA) Neutral Rating Reaffirmed at Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on Tesla while analysts remain split overall, leaving a consensus "Hold" rating and a consensus price target of $398.45 (18 Buys, 15 Holds, 8 Sells).
• Tesla slightly beat Q1 EPS ( $0.41 vs. $0.39) but missed revenue expectations ($22.39B vs. $22.96B); the stock traded down about 3.8% and sits at roughly $372.66 on the day.
• Investor concerns center on Tesla's planned > $25 billion spending on AI/chips/robotics — a move that could pressure cash flow — alongside recent insider selling, raising near‑term execution and financial risks.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Barclays in a report released on Thursday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on TSLA. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Tesla from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Tesla from $480.00 to $465.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Tesla in a report on Tuesday. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $398.45.

Tesla Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of NASDAQ TSLA opened at $372.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 342.86, a P/E/G ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 1.91. Tesla has a 1 year low of $249.20 and a 1 year high of $498.83. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $386.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $421.29.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.96% and a net margin of 3.95%.The company had revenue of $22.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Tesla will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In other Tesla news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.03, for a total value of $898,875.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,188,625.18. This trade represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,809 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.33, for a total transaction of $9,273,947.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,166,913.80. The trade was a 43.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 53,804 shares of company stock valued at $20,865,598. Insiders own 19.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Tesla

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TSLA. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter worth approximately $17,128,100,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Tesla by 3,205.5% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,459,599 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $9,650,811,000 after buying an additional 20,810,386 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Tesla by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,755,605 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $9,334,211,000 after buying an additional 7,450,766 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Tesla by 882.8% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 8,202,060 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $3,688,630,000 after buying an additional 7,367,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Tesla by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,925,024 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $116,443,762,000 after buying an additional 6,538,720 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.20% of the company's stock.

More Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on EPS and surprise positive free cash flow gives near-term support to TSLA; investors point to profitability resilience despite softer vehicle demand. Tesla reports surprise positive free cash flow
• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk says Tesla has begun pilot production of Cybercab robotaxis and shared video of an occupant-less vehicle — a tangible milestone for the autonomy/robotaxi narrative that supports longer-term upside. Elon Musk says Tesla has started producing cybecabs
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s share in California new‑car registrations jumped to ~56% in Q1 — a sign the company still holds market strength in its largest U.S. EV market. Tesla's California market share soars to 56% in Q1 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Intel/Tesla Terafab disclosure (plans to use Intel’s 14A process) reduces some chip‑supply uncertainty for Tesla’s in‑house AI chip ambitions and helped chip partners rally. Elon Musk lays out Terafab AI chip project plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Next‑gen A15 AI chip tape‑out clears a technical milestone for Tesla’s compute roadmap, but manufacturing and scale remain the bigger near‑term questions. This Is What Tesla Inc. (TSLA) A15 Chip Tape-out Means
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are split: some firms (TD Cowen, Cantor, Canaccord) reiterated/upgraded ratings and raised targets, while others stuck to neutral or trimmed targets — providing both support and friction in the stock. Benzinga coverage of analyst moves
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla warned it will spend more than $25 billion this year on AI, chips and robotics — investors fear a sharp capex ramp will push cash flow negative for 2026 and compress near‑term returns. That announcement has been the primary sell catalyst since the earnings call. Tesla's $25 billion spending plan tests investor faith
• Negative Sentiment: Musk acknowledged older HW3 vehicles won’t achieve unsupervised FSD without upgrades — a costly retrofit promise for owners and a reputational/headline risk for Tesla. Elon Musk admits millions of Tesla owners need upgrades for true ‘Full Self-Driving'
• Negative Sentiment: Timelines for robotaxi / Optimus commercialization were softened or removed in the Q1 filing and call; analysts warned rollout is slower than hoped — increasing execution risk versus the premium valuation. Musk sounds cautious tone on robotaxis amid slower-than-expected rollout
• Negative Sentiment: A brief, vague SEC‑filed ~ $2B AI/hardware acquisition disclosure (no company named) added uncertainty about what Tesla bought and its near‑term impact on financials. Tesla slips one-sentence disclosure of a mysterious $2 billion AI hardware acquisition

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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