Krane Funds Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Krane Funds Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 79.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,182 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after buying an additional 8,510 shares during the period. Tesla accounts for approximately 0.2% of Krane Funds Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Krane Funds Advisors LLC’s holdings in Tesla were worth $8,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Tesla in the third quarter worth $32,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the second quarter worth $26,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Tesla during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate upgrade: Erste Group raised earnings estimates for Tesla, signaling at least some investor confidence that company fundamentals may beat current weak sentiment. Higher estimates can support the stock if confirmed. Erste Group Bank Increases Earnings Estimates for Tesla
• Positive Sentiment: Model Y six-seater approval in Australia: regulatory approvals and product tweaks that broaden appeal (family demand) are constructive for volume growth outside the U.S. if rolled out widely. Model Y Six-Seater Approval in Australia
• Neutral Sentiment: Cybertruck price action: Elon Musk signaled a short (10-day) promotional window and hinted future pricing will depend on demand — this could boost near-term orders but risks margin erosion if deeper cuts are needed. Watch deliveries and margin guidance. Tesla Cybertruck Deal May Last Only 10 Days
• Neutral Sentiment: EV price/demand dynamics: U.S. EV sales and average selling prices are down — a near-term revenue headwind — but some analysts note Tesla could gain share amid industry price cuts (a mixed revenue vs. share trade-off). Tesla EV Sales Crater, Stock Drops. There’s a Silver Lining.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal escalation in California: the DMV ruled Tesla used deceptive marketing around automated driving; Tesla has sued to overturn that ruling. This raises regulatory and reputational risk that could limit FSD commercialization and invite further enforcement. Tesla’s battle with the California DMV Tesla sues California DMV (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: FSD/robotaxi setbacks: multiple reports of robotaxi collisions, FSD data issues, and investor skepticism are undermining the high-growth autonomous narrative that underpins much of Tesla’s valuation. Continued operational problems would pressure sentiment and long-term upside assumptions. Tesla Has a Robotaxi Problem (Fool) FSD Data Issues (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal judgment and liability concerns: a judge ruled Tesla still must pay $243M related to a 2019 Autopilot fatality — a reminder of liability exposure that can amplify regulatory scrutiny and affect costs/insurance. Tesla must pay $243M over Autopilot crash

Tesla Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:TSLA opened at $399.83 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $439.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $419.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 370.21, a PEG ratio of 14.50 and a beta of 1.86. Tesla, Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.25 and a 52-week high of $498.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.16.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.05. The firm 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. Analysts expect that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.40, for a total value of $26,724,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 577,031 shares in the company, valued at $257,009,607.40. This represents a 9.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.66, for a total value of $25,606,501.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,391,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $627,145,215.90. This represents a 3.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145. Company insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Tesla from $439.00 to $438.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Tesla from $235.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. CICC Research increased their target price on Tesla from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Tesla from $307.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and nine have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $408.09.

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.