Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading Up 3.5% – Still a Buy?

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s stock price traded up 3.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $385.33 and last traded at $380.85. 74,148,804 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 21% from the average session volume of 61,523,879 shares. The stock had previously closed at $367.96.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is accelerating vertical integration of semiconductor production (the “Terafab” concept) to support its autonomous?driving and AI roadmap — a move investors see as addressing a key supply bottleneck for chips used in Full Self?Driving, Optimus robots and other AI projects. Tesla (TSLA) Accelerates Its Autonomous Driving Roadmap By Vertically Integrating Its Semiconductor Production
• Positive Sentiment: European registrations reversed a long slump in February (first monthly gain since 2024), easing near?term delivery worries and supporting sentiment around Q1 deliveries. Tesla sales rebound in Europe after massive slump
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush and other bullish voices have highlighted Terafab as a potentially transformational initiative and reaffirmed bullish targets, which is lifting investor optimism. Tesla (TSLA) Stock Rises as Wedbush Analyst Hails Terafab as Revolutionary Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive PR around product efforts — Jay Leno’s favorable impressions of the Tesla Semi and claims about longer?life/semi battery tech (million?mile battery) provide product momentum but are early-stage and speculative for earnings. “Million?Mile Battery”: Tesla Stock Jumps With New Semi Battery Claims
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market interest in a potential SpaceX mega?IPO is keeping Musk?related names in focus; this can be a double?edged catalyst (either investor enthusiasm or investor rotation away from Tesla). SpaceX Prepares for Potential Mega IPO Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and market share pressure: BYD’s rapid sales growth in Europe and new robotaxi deployments by rivals (Zoox) highlight intensifying competition that could weigh on Tesla’s long?term margins and unit growth. Tesla’s Global Sales Crisis Deepens As BYD Surges 162% In Europe
• Negative Sentiment: Political/legal headlines — the White House publicly rejected Elon Musk’s offer to pay TSA workers during a DHS funding lapse (raising conflict/contract scrutiny), and Musk has asked a Delaware judge to recuse herself in a Tesla shareholder case. These items increase regulatory and governance risk perception. White House Rejects Elon Musk Offer to Cover TSA Pay During DHS Shutdown Elon Musk asks judge to recuse herself in Tesla shareholder case
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and rising capex: some firms (Goldman Sachs hold) flag that early?stage growth initiatives (Optimus, Terafab) and higher capital spending keep risk/reward balanced, tempering upside until returns are clearer. Tesla: Early?Stage Growth Initiatives and Rising Capex Keep Risk?Reward Balanced at Hold

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on TSLA shares. Tigress Financial began coverage on Tesla in a report on Thursday, February 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Tesla from $509.00 to $519.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Glj Research reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Tesla from $313.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Tesla from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $406.84.

Tesla Trading Up 0.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.45 trillion, a P/E ratio of 357.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $412.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $428.36.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.05. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 4.00%.The company had revenue of $24.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In related news, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.40, for a total value of $26,724,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 577,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,009,607.40. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,731 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.56, for a total transaction of $10,692,774.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,173,649.64. The trade was a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 87,995 shares of company stock valued at $38,315,650. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Networth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Tesla during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Tesla by 79.4% during the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Tesla during the 3rd quarter worth about $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. acquired a new stake in shares of Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.