Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Boosts Stock Position in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,254 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after buying an additional 1,925 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Tesla were worth $5,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Networth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Prism Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 66.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. China Renaissance lowered their price target on Tesla from $382.00 to $372.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. HSBC initiated coverage on Tesla in a report on Monday, April 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Monday, April 27th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Tesla presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $395.20.

Tesla Stock Performance

NASDAQ:TSLA opened at $418.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.62. Tesla, Inc. has a 1 year low of $273.21 and a 1 year high of $498.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $395.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $416.24. The company has a market cap of $1.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 383.90, a PEG ratio of 16.73 and a beta of 1.80.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.02. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.89% and a net margin of 3.95%.The business had revenue of $22.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tesla News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla expanded its unsupervised Robotaxi service area in Austin, a sign that its autonomous ride-hailing push is still advancing and could support the long-term AI/robotics story. Reuters: Tesla rolls out unsupervised robotaxis in Austin
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla reported a strong rebound in China-made EV sales in May, with Shanghai deliveries jumping sharply as the domestic market showed signs of recovery, which may help near-term demand sentiment. CNBC: Tesla’s China-made EV sales jump nearly 40% in May
• Positive Sentiment: Global EV sales rose in April and were led by Tesla, reinforcing that the broader EV market is still growing. TipRanks: Global Electric Vehicle Sales Rose 16% in April
• Neutral Sentiment: News around SpaceX’s massive IPO and speculation about a possible future Tesla-SpaceX linkage is stirring investor attention, but it is mostly indirect and highly speculative for TSLA in the near term. CNBC: SpaceX targets $135 IPO price
• Negative Sentiment: Several reports highlighted that Tesla’s stock is being dragged by weakness in tech stocks overall, especially after Broadcom’s disappointing results weighed on the sector. Yahoo Finance: Sector Update: Tech Stocks Fall Thursday Afternoon
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to question Tesla’s rich valuation, arguing that the stock price still reflects ambitious AI, robotaxi, and robotics expectations that have not yet been fully proven in financial results. 247WallSt: Buy, Hold, or Sell: Is Tesla Stock a Sell Above $400?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and legal concerns are also lingering, including scrutiny over Tesla’s FSD claims in China and new competition in robotics and EVs, which can pressure sentiment. Yahoo Finance: Tesla Faces China FSD Lawsuit

Insider Activity at Tesla

In other news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,147,700. The trade was a 14.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 26,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.11, for a total value of $9,985,506.99. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 48,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,300,145.89. This represents a 35.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,218 shares of company stock worth $20,609,455. Corporate insiders own 19.90% 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.