Wedbush Securities Inc. Raises Stake in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 74,483 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after buying an additional 1,973 shares during the period. Tesla accounts for approximately 1.1% of Wedbush Securities Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Tesla were worth $33,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Tesla during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the second quarter worth $29,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Tesla during the third quarter valued at $29,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC boosted its stake in Tesla by 1,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. ESL Trust Services LLC now owns 100 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Tesla News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chinese regulator steps to curb cutthroat EV price wars in China, which should reduce aggressive discounting and help stabilize Tesla’s China pricing and margins. Tesla Stock (TSLA) Rises as Chinese Watchdog Moves to Tame Cutthroat Price War
• Positive Sentiment: Tencent Cloud partnership to add WeChat-linked in-car features, OTA updates and China-specific services — improves local product experience and deepens ties with a major Chinese tech partner (and investor). Tencent, Tesla team up on WeChat-linked in-car features in China
• Positive Sentiment: Company appoints its Europe head to run global sales — centralizing sales leadership could improve go-to-market execution and inventory/pricing discipline across regions. Tesla names Europe executive to head global sales, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst attention on Tesla’s solar & energy TAM (Morgan Stanley coverage) highlights a large long-term growth opportunity beyond autos, supporting investor interest in non-vehicle revenue upside. Tesla (TSLA) draws fresh attention as Morgan Stanley highlights solar opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat technical take: Tesla has staged a bounce from known support and momentum indicators look constructive, but valuation and a broken uptrend make any rally fragile — implies higher short-term volatility. Tesla’s Rally Setup Is Here—But Valuation Makes It Fragile
• Negative Sentiment: Prominent investor Gary Black publicly rejects Elon Musk’s reported “discount-first” communications strategy — investor pushback on margin-dilutive tactics raises concern about pricing strategy and management messaging. Gary Black rejects Elon Musk-led Tesla’s discount-first communications strategy: ‘I don’t think…’
• Negative Sentiment: Executive turnover continues: VP Raj Jegannathan and other senior departures (AI/infosec and sales leadership moves) raise execution risk for ambitious AI/robotics initiatives (Optimus/robotaxi) and sales operations. Tesla VP Raj Jegannathan departs after 13 years with Elon Musk’s EV giant

Tesla Trading Up 0.7%

Tesla stock opened at $428.26 on Thursday. Tesla, Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.25 and a 52-week high of $498.83. The company has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 396.54, a P/E/G ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $445.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $413.37.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $24.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.75 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 4.00%.Tesla’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. Analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.40, for a total value of $26,724,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 577,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,009,607.40. This represents a 9.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,637 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,757 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,107,145.01. This represents a 16.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 119,457 shares of company stock valued at $53,501,145. 19.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $508.00 price objective on Tesla in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Tesla from $439.00 to $438.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Monday, November 17th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $403.92.

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.