Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading 2.1% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) were up 2.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $449.05 and last traded at $445.01. Approximately 67,002,408 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 6% from the average daily volume of 71,050,438 shares. The stock had previously closed at $435.80.

Trending Headlines about Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Early rollout of the promised FSD “reasoning” upgrade gives the autonomy thesis credibility and supports upside for TSLA if wider software adoption follows. The ‘Reasoning’ Upgrade Tesla (TSLA) Promised Is Already Partly Here
• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk’s public explanation for a sizable Nvidia hardware spend helped reframe Tesla as an AI/autonomy play rather than just an automaker, boosting investor confidence in the robo-taxi/AI optionality. Tesla Stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) Gains as Elon Musk Explains Nvidia Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media narratives linking Tesla to broader AI/autonomy upside (Cybercab timelines, FSD progress) have traders pricing more optionality into TSLA and boosting short-term momentum. Tesla stock surges nearly 2% today: here’s why analysts see more upside
• Positive Sentiment: China deliveries showed healthy growth in December (best month ever claims), helping offset broader delivery concerns and supporting revenue momentum in Tesla’s largest market. Tesla China Sales Rise 13.2% In December To Clock Best Month Ever
• Neutral Sentiment: High options activity and volatility ahead of Tesla’s late-January earnings suggest traders are positioning for a big post-earnings move, which can amplify intraday swings. Tesla stock: what’s driving the spike in January options volume?
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) describe Tesla as an “enigma” — reflecting mixed sentiment that can sustain volatility but not necessarily a directional catalyst by itself. Jim Cramer Calls Tesla an “Enigma”
• Negative Sentiment: Q4/2025 delivery declines and repeated misses remain a concrete headwind to the core auto growth story, keeping some investors skeptical about near-term revenue and margin expansion. Tesla Stock (TSLA) Opinions on Q4 2025 Delivery Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Rising competition in autonomy from Nvidia and others is prompting skepticism about Tesla’s FSD monopoly and valuation premium; several pieces highlight this risk and pressuring analyst views. Tesla Adds Nvidia To Its Enemy List
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street pushback—analyst downgrades/reiterated sells (e.g., UBS, Truist PT cut) and high-profile bearish takes—adds selling pressure and keeps the valuation debate alive. UBS Sticks With Sell on Tesla (TSLA) as AI Optimism Runs Ahead of Fundamentals
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling (a director sale disclosed) and headline legal/exec controversies (Musk vs OpenAI dispute) can weigh on sentiment during volatile stretches. Insider Selling: Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Director Sells $26,724,000.00 in Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on TSLA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Tesla from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $247.00 price target on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Tesla from $482.00 to $551.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Mizuho upped their price objective on Tesla from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, DZ Bank reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Tesla in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned 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 a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $408.54.

Tesla Trading Up 2.1%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $444.28 and its 200 day moving average is $395.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $1.48 trillion, a PE ratio of 296.67, a P/E/G ratio of 7.15 and a beta of 1.83.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $28.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.98 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 6.61% and a net margin of 5.51%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In other Tesla news, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.66, for a total transaction of $25,606,501.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,391,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $627,145,215.90. The trade was a 3.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.40, for a total transaction of $26,724,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 577,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $257,009,607.40. This trade represents a 9.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 119,457 shares of company stock valued at $53,501,145 in the last 90 days. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Tesla

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TSLA. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC raised its holdings in shares of Tesla by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 6,558 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $2,916,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. lifted its position in shares of Tesla by 2.8% in the third quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. now owns 855 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. VanderPol Investments L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Tesla by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. VanderPol Investments L.L.C. now owns 1,070 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Tesla by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,577 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Tesla by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $923,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% 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.