Wedbush Securities Inc. Grows Position in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 74,483 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the quarter. Tesla accounts for about 1.1% of Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings, 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Tesla in the second quarter valued at $26,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Tesla during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Tesla Price Performance

TSLA opened at $428.26 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 396.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 1.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $445.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $413.37. Tesla, Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.25 and a 52-week high of $498.83.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $24.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.75 billion. Tesla had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TSLA has been the topic of several research reports. President Capital decreased their price target on shares of Tesla from $517.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. China Renaissance increased their target price on shares of Tesla from $380.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Tesla from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, New Street Research lifted their price objective on Tesla from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and nine have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Tesla has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $403.92.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

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

Insider Activity at Tesla

In related 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 transaction, the director owned 577,031 shares in the company, valued at $257,009,607.40. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.66, for a total value of $25,606,501.20. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,391,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $627,145,215.90. The trade was a 3.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145 over the last 90 days. 19.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.