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

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares rose 4.2% during mid-day 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 changed hands during mid-day 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 equities research analysts also recently issued reports on TSLA. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Tesla from $400.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. President Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Tesla from $529.00 to $517.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Tesla from $235.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $510.00 price objective on Tesla and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and eight have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Tesla presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $410.77.

Insider Activity at Tesla

In related news, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 1,391,615 shares in the company, valued at $627,145,215.90. This trade represents a 3.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $1,170,643.41. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,107,145.01. This represents a 16.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 119,457 shares of company stock valued at $53,501,145 in the last 90 days. 19.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories 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 Investors Weigh In On Tesla

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Narwhal Capital Management increased its stake in Tesla by 32.8% in the third quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 9,516 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $4,232,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,839,824,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its stake in shares of Tesla by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 427,150 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $135,688,000 after purchasing an additional 22,607 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Tesla by 1,823.0% during the 2nd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 68,325 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $21,704,000 after buying an additional 64,772 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in Tesla by 20.0% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 16,565 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $7,367,000 after buying an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. 66.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Tesla Stock Up 4.2%

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

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $28.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.98 billion. Tesla had a net margin of 5.51% and a return on equity of 6.61%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS 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.