Leavell Investment Management Inc. Raises Position in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,378 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after buying an additional 1,926 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Tesla were worth $5,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TSLA. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Tesla by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,123 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $2,278,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its position in Tesla by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,515 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $674,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Tesla by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 12,491 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $5,555,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the third quarter worth approximately $1,623,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Tesla by 3.1% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,667 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $1,186,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 66.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $443.93, for a total transaction of $1,170,643.41. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,107,145.01. This represents a 16.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $257,009,607.40. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145. Insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

More Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is restarting its Dojo 3 supercomputer effort after progress on its in‑house AI5 chip, a move that supports Tesla’s autonomy and robotaxi roadmap and could improve long‑term software monetization prospects. Tesla to Resume Dojo3 After Progress on AI5 Chip Design
• Positive Sentiment: Regulators in Canada sharply cut tariffs on Chinese‑made EVs and opened an import quota—Tesla is seen as an early beneficiary because of its Shanghai production history and existing Canadian retail network, which could boost near‑term volume and pricing in Canada. Tesla poised to be early winner as Canada opens door to Chinese‑made EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Public endorsements from influential bulls (e.g., Cathie Wood) continue to highlight Tesla’s shift from pure auto OEM to robotaxi/AI player, supporting a narrative of optionality beyond vehicle margins. ‘No Longer Just an Auto Company,’ Cathie Wood Says of Tesla (TSLA)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term analyst forecasts and price‑target roundups are circulating ahead of Tesla’s Jan. 28 earnings call; investors are focused on guidance for deliveries, margins, and Dojo/robotaxi progress. Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Tesla FY2027 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: A Cybercab prototype sighting in Chicago appears to confirm features Tesla owners have been requesting—positive for product validation but not yet revenue material. Cybercab Sighting Seems to Confirm a Feature Tesla Owners Have Been Requesting for Years
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from BYD and other Chinese automakers remains acute—BYD outpaced Tesla in global sales in 2025, highlighting market share risk and pricing pressure in key regions. Tesla vs. BYD: Which Stock Has the Edge Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Supply‑chain friction: Tesla and Australia’s Syrah Resources extended a deadline in a graphite‑offtake dispute, a reminder of raw‑material execution risks for battery supply. Australia’s Syrah Resources buys more time for Tesla graphite supply deal
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Tesla’s recent sales softness and the company’s need to prove robotaxi execution in 2026 adds downside risk to expectations already priced into the stock. Tesla Is Struggling — The Global EV Market Isn’t

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TSLA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $510.00 target price on shares of Tesla and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Tesla from $483.00 to $508.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Glj Research reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $25.28 price objective (up previously from $19.05) on shares of Tesla in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $410.20.

Tesla Stock Performance

TSLA opened at $437.50 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 2.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 291.67, a PEG ratio of 7.44 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $443.36 and a 200 day moving average of $400.89. Tesla, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $214.25 and a fifty-two week high of $498.83.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Tesla had a net margin of 5.51% and a return on equity of 6.61%. The business had revenue of $28.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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.