Research Analysts Set Expectations for Tesla Q1 Earnings

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Tesla in a report issued on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the electric vehicle producer will earn $0.18 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.34. The consensus estimate for Tesla’s current full-year earnings is $2.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Tesla’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.28 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.28 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.28 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.01 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.34 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $0.96 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $0.53 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on TSLA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Tesla from $500.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Tesla from $439.00 to $438.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Tesla from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Tesla from $307.00 to $313.00 in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Tesla from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Tesla has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $408.09.

Tesla Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:TSLA opened at $417.44 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $444.24 and a 200 day moving average of $415.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 trillion, a P/E ratio of 386.52, a P/E/G ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 1.86. Tesla has a 12 month low of $214.25 and a 12 month high of $498.83.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last announced 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 return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 4.00%.The firm had revenue of $24.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tesla

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Tesla by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,465 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $12,804,000 after purchasing an additional 7,072 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Tesla by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 8,822 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $3,967,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Tesla by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 61,932 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $27,852,000 after purchasing an additional 2,479 shares during the last quarter. Cordoba Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $477,000. Finally, Burton Enright Welch purchased a new position in Tesla during the 4th quarter valued at $3,377,000. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In other news, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 577,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $257,009,607.40. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.66, for a total transaction of $25,606,501.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,391,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $627,145,215.90. This trade represents a 3.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Technical/analyst support — Tesla has bounced off key support around the low-$390s and momentum indicators are turning bullish; several firms have reiterated buy ratings with price targets north of $500, which is supporting the rally. Tesla’s Rally Setup Is Here—But Valuation Makes It Fragile
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh buy-side support — New coverage/price-targets (Tigress Financial set a $550 target) give upside narrative that can attract momentum-focused flows. Tigress $550 Price Target Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory relief in China — reports that a Chinese watchdog is moving to curb destructive price competition have been cited as a near-term tailwind for Tesla’s pricing and margins in China. Tesla Stock Rises as Chinese Watchdog Moves to Tame Cutthroat Price War
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — some commentary explains why TSLA can rise even while Big Tech sells off (rotation and idiosyncratic drivers), which helps explain today’s divergence. Why Tesla stock is climbing even as Big Tech sells off
• Neutral Sentiment: Robotics competition note — a congresswoman disclosed a stake in Apptronik (a Tesla humanoid/robotics rival); this highlights competition in Tesla’s broader robotics/“physical AI” story but is not an immediate earnings driver. Congresswoman With Stake In Musk’s xAI Adds Position In Tesla’s Robot Rival Apptronik
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. and China deliveries under pressure — U.S. registrations are estimated down ~17% in January, and separate reports show China deliveries plunged (one report cites a ~45% drop), weighing on near-term revenue growth. Tesla’s January Sales Drop 17%, But Its Market Share May Have Risen
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure in China — Xiaomi’s new YU7 outsold the Model Y in January, a sign of intensifying local competition that could pressure Tesla’s share and pricing in its biggest market. Tesla Rival Xiaomi’s YU7 SUV Overtakes Model Y China Sales In January
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional trimming and investor fatigue — ARK and Primecap reported notable Tesla share reductions, and analysts/commentary note some long-term holders and experienced employees are stepping away, reinforcing valuation and execution concerns. ARK Investment Management Cuts Tesla Stake

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.