Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Shares Down 4.8% – Here’s What Happened

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) traded down 4.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $422.00 and last traded at $422.24. 51,255,324 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 62,650,719 shares. The stock had previously closed at $443.30.

More Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is building a Cybercab car wash in Nevada, a sign it is putting real infrastructure in place ahead of a broader robotaxi rollout. Tesla (TSLA) to Build Cybercab Car Wash in Nevada as Robotaxi Plans Take Shape
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s planned $250 million Berlin Gigafactory investment could boost battery output, add jobs, and support European production growth. Tesla to Invest $250 Million in Berlin Gigafactory
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary continues to frame Tesla as a major long-term AI and robotaxi winner, which is helping keep a bullish base in the stock. Tesla Stock Is Soaring. Is the $10 Trillion Robotaxi Story Finally a Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Tesla but kept a neutral rating, suggesting the market still sees upside potential but remains cautious on valuation. Tesla price target raised by UBS Group AG
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported Tesla robotaxi testing has been plagued by long wait times, navigation problems, and crash disclosures, reinforcing concerns about execution and safety. Tesla robotaxi rollout features long wait times, safety concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal scrutiny is also rising, with an Australian judge criticizing Tesla’s slow progress in a class action lawsuit and warning of a “really bad time” if it does not cooperate. Australian judge criticises Tesla for slow progress in class action lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were disappointed that Trump’s China visit produced no major agreements for Tesla, leaving FSD approval and trade hopes unresolved. Tesla Stock Slumps After Trump’s China Trip Ends Without Material Agreements

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Tesla from $538.00 to $522.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. HSBC assumed coverage on Tesla in a report on Monday, April 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, January 29th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $395.20.

Tesla Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 387.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 17.56 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $386.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $418.25.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $22.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 1.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Tesla

In related news, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 26,409 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.11, for a total value of $9,985,506.99. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 48,399 shares in the company, valued at $18,300,145.89. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.03, for a total value of $898,875.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,188,625.18. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 80,213 shares of company stock valued at $30,851,105. Corporate insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Tesla

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Tesla by 34.7% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 19,567 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $8,799,000 after acquiring an additional 5,039 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its stake in Tesla by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 32,576 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $14,487,000 after acquiring an additional 7,446 shares in the last quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Tesla by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,907 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $18,846,000 after acquiring an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Tesla by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 48,504 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $21,571,000 after purchasing an additional 3,935 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Tesla by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,032 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $8,019,000 after purchasing an additional 3,724 shares in the last quarter. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.