Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Stock Price Up 2% – Time to Buy?

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) was up 2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $431.51 and last traded at $426.01. Approximately 45,679,799 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 61,842,867 shares. The stock had previously closed at $417.85.

Key Stories Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving rollout in China and subscription-based FSD availability in Europe bolster the case that autonomy could become a bigger growth driver. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators continue to frame Tesla as a robotics and AI company, with bullish chatter around Optimus and the company’s long-term pivot away from being just an automaker. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: SpaceX’s IPO has dominated investor attention, and while it highlights Musk’s ecosystem, the market is debating whether it will ultimately help Tesla or distract capital and attention away from TSLA. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported Tesla is recalling 14,575 Model Y SUVs in the U.S. over a missing weight certification label, adding another quality-control issue to the stock’s recent concerns. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles warn that Tesla’s valuation remains stretched and that FSD still faces execution questions, with critics saying the technology is not yet ready to justify the stock’s premium. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on TSLA shares. HSBC started coverage on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, April 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $490.00 price objective on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. DZ Bank raised shares of Tesla from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $385.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Tesla from $352.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $395.20.

Tesla Trading Up 2.0%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $387.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $416.85. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.60 trillion, a PE ratio of 390.83, a PEG ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 1.79.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.02. Tesla had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 4.89%. The firm had revenue of $22.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 26,409 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.11, for a total transaction of $9,985,506.99. Following the sale, the director owned 48,399 shares in the company, valued at $18,300,145.89. This represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,147,700. The trade was a 14.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 83,213 shares of company stock worth $32,201,105. Corporate insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Networth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Tesla during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Tesla by 79.4% during the fourth 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 period. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new position in Tesla during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Prism Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Tesla during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX purchased a new stake in Tesla during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

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.