Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Stock Price Down 1.8% on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) fell 1.8% on Monday after Zacks Research downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The company traded as low as $352.14 and last traded at $355.28. 66,430,741 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 61,301,953 shares. The stock had previously closed at $361.83.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on TSLA. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, January 29th. New Street Research raised their price objective on shares of Tesla from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Tesla from $500.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Tigress Financial started coverage on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and ten have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $403.98.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.03, for a total value of $898,875.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,106 shares in the company, valued at $7,188,625.18. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,731 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.56, for a total transaction of $10,692,774.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,173,649.64. This represents a 56.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 87,995 shares of company stock valued at $38,315,650 over the last ninety days. 19.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Tesla News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk said Tesla’s newest Full Self-Driving (FSD) version could launch “probably” this week, supporting optimism about autonomous-software monetization and upside beyond car sales. Newest Version Of Tesla FSD ‘Probably’ Launching This Week, Elon Musk Says
• Positive Sentiment: European sales are showing a rebound: French registrations more than tripled in March and other European markets (Nordics, Spain) posted strong gains — a clear near-term sales upside. Tesla French car registrations triple in March
• Positive Sentiment: CEO announcements about a “big” investment in Japan to expand service infrastructure and Superchargers were cited as a catalyst for midday gains, improving serviceability and addressable market. Why Tesla (TSLA) Stock Is Up Today
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is due to report Q1 delivery totals early Thursday — Wall Street expects roughly 365–366k units — making this the primary near-term catalyst that could swing sentiment both ways. Tesla Stock Rises Ahead of Delivery Numbers. Brace for Volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market volatility may also affect TSLA: headlines around President Trump’s Iran speech and broader futures action could amplify intraday moves. Dow Jones Futures Await Trump’s Iran War Speech; Tesla Set To Reclaim EV Crown
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded TSLA to a “Strong Sell” and trimmed near-term EPS estimates, a formal analyst headwind that can pressure sentiment and flows. Zacks Research Downgrades Tesla
• Negative Sentiment: Reports (and some models) expect Q1 deliveries to dip sequentially as EV demand softens in parts of Tesla’s footprint — weaker delivery prints would be a clear negative. Tesla Q1 deliveries likely dip sequentially as EV demand softens
• Negative Sentiment: Competition is heating: rivals like Nio reported very strong March delivery growth, underscoring market-share pressure in key markets. Watch Out Tesla ― NIO March Deliveries Surged 136%

Institutional Trading of Tesla

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Networth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Tesla during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Tesla during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. grew 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Tesla Stock Up 2.6%

The company has a market cap of $1.43 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 353.02, a P/E/G ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 1.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $405.61 and its 200-day moving average is $428.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last posted 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. Tesla had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.86%. The firm had revenue of $24.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.