Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading 3.3% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) were up 3.3% during trading on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $307.00 to $352.00. UBS Group currently has a sell rating on the stock. Tesla traded as high as $439.88 and last traded at $430.41. Approximately 82,226,694 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 29% from the average daily volume of 63,717,016 shares. The stock had previously closed at $416.56.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on TSLA. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Tesla from $482.00 to $551.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Tesla from $483.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $405.00 target price on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday. Finally, Industrial Alliance Securities set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $409.58.

Insider Activity at Tesla

In other Tesla news, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.66, for a total transaction of $25,606,501.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,391,615 shares in the company, valued at $627,145,215.90. The trade was a 3.92% 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, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.40, for a total value of $26,724,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 577,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,009,607.40. This trade represents a 9.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 119,457 shares of company stock valued at $53,501,145. Insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: SpaceX merger chatter lifted sentiment — investors see a potential consolidation that could add scale/value to Musk’s ecosystem and create cross-company synergies that benefit TSLA. Tesla jumps as SpaceX merger talks fuel Musk empire consolidation hopes
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates on EPS and revenue and highlighted growth in energy/storage and FSD subscriptions — the market rewarded the beat and the narrative that Tesla is becoming a “physical AI” play (robotaxi/Optimus/AI chips). Tesla revenue beats estimates despite weaker vehicle deliveries
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s announced $2B investment in Elon Musk’s xAI signals deeper AI integration across Tesla products and closer alignment across Musk companies — a theme investors liked alongside the merger speculation. Tesla to invest $2 billion in xAI
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions remain mixed — several firms raised targets citing the “physical AI” upside while others trimmed targets or reiterated cautious ratings given near-term execution and valuation risks (expect continued volatility around revisions).
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 capex ($20B+) and a strategic pivot to robotics/robotaxis raise near-term cash burn and execution risk; investors will watch margins, free cash flow and how quickly Optimus/Cybercab ramps. Tesla plans $20 billion capital spending spree
• Negative Sentiment: Management will end Model S and X production to free Fremont capacity for robots — a logical long-term move but one that underscores transition risk and contributes to short-term revenue/margin uncertainty. Elon Musk says Tesla ending Models S and X production

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tesla

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Networth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Tesla in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Tesla by 79.4% during the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new position in Tesla in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Tesla in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Prism Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Tesla in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Tesla Trading Up 3.3%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $446.91 and a 200 day moving average of $406.71. The company has a market cap of $1.43 trillion, a P/E ratio of 398.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.36 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.05. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.93% and a net margin of 4.00%.The business had revenue of $24.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. Tesla’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.