Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading 4.2% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s stock price rose 4.2% during trading on Thursday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $350.00 to $360.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Tesla traded as high as $449.50 and last traded at $449.36. Approximately 70,674,437 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 9% from the average daily volume of 65,026,313 shares. The stock had previously closed at $431.44.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on TSLA. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Tesla from $482.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Mizuho upped their target price on Tesla from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Glj Research reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $25.28 target price (up from $19.05) on shares of Tesla in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $410.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.40, for a total transaction of $26,724,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 577,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $257,009,607.40. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,637 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $443.93, for a total value of $1,170,643.41. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,107,145.01. This trade represents a 16.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is operating robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety monitor and CEO Elon Musk says the Robotaxi network will be “very, very widespread” in the U.S. by the end of 2026 — a clear revenue and growth optionality if scaled. Tesla starts robotaxi rides without safety monitors in Austin
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm was reinforced at Davos where Musk said he expects regulatory approvals (Europe/China) for Tesla’s FSD soon, which would expand addressable markets for autonomy-based revenue. Musk says Tesla’s robotaxis will be widespread in the U.S. by the end of this year
• Positive Sentiment: Lemonade announced a technical collaboration to offer large discounts for miles driven with Tesla FSD, validating safety claims and opening a distribution channel that could boost FSD adoption and lower consumer costs. Market reaction to the Lemonade tie-up has helped lift sentiment. Lemonade’s Tesla Deal Could Rewrite How Auto Insurance Is Priced
• Neutral Sentiment: Tesla faces an upcoming catalyst: Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings are due Jan. 28. Earnings/guidance could amplify volatility — good execution would reinforce the rally, while any weakness could trigger a pullback. Dear Tesla Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for January 28
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst positioning is mixed: Barclays recently adjusted its price target (still Equal Weight), underscoring that institutional views are split despite short‑term positive headlines. Barclays adjusts price target on Tesla
• Negative Sentiment: Elon Musk warned Cybercab and Optimus production will be “agonizingly slow” at first, which tempers the near‑term revenue and margin upside from robotics and robotaxi ambitions. Tesla’s Cybercab, Optimus output to start ‘agonizingly slow’
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and reputational risks persist: reports of headcount cuts at Giga Berlin, criticism from industry voices about FSD safety, and competition from Waymo’s Miami launch keep execution risk and regulatory scrutiny front of mind. Tesla reduces Berlin staff by 1,700
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and subscriber math remain a concern for skeptics: analyses arguing Tesla needs a very large FSD subscriber base to justify current multiples keep downside risk if growth or monetization misses. Tesla Needs 20M FSD Subscribers Annually To Justify Its Valuation

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Tesla in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Tesla during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX purchased a new stake in Tesla in the third quarter worth $31,000. First Community Trust NA bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. 66.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Tesla Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $442.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $401.85. The company has a market cap of $1.49 trillion, a P/E ratio of 299.57, a P/E/G ratio of 7.13 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 2.07.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Tesla had a net margin of 5.51% and a return on equity of 6.61%. The company had revenue of $28.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.72 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Tesla

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.