Defender Capital LLC. Purchases 8,472 Shares of Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Defender Capital LLC. boosted its position in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 62.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,052 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,472 shares during the quarter. Tesla makes up 3.3% of Defender Capital LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Defender Capital LLC.’s holdings in Tesla were worth $9,806,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Tesla during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Tesla in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Tesla during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tesla during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Key Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla is restarting its Dojo/AI push after progress on next‑gen chips (AI5), and management says Dojo3 work will resume — a boost to Tesla’s autonomy/robotics roadmap and long‑term software margins. Dojo3 Resume
• Positive Sentiment: Canada’s tariff rollback on China‑made EVs should give Tesla an early advantage in that market (existing Shanghai supply chain and dealer footprint). Market access upside could help near‑term volume in Canada. Canada Tariff Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed an Overweight stance and a $500 target, signaling some sell‑side conviction that upside remains ahead of earnings. Piper Sandler Reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Cathie Wood reportedly trimmed some Tesla exposure but continues to endorse a high‑margin robotaxi thesis — mixed evidence of conviction from large holders. Cathie Wood View
• Neutral Sentiment: Management and bulls stress Tesla’s transformation into a software/AI/robotics platform; that narrative supports long‑term valuation but raises reliance on successful product commercialization. Bull vs Bear Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Elon Musk warned Cybercab (robotaxi) and Optimus humanoid robot production will start “agonizingly slow,” signaling delays in revenue realization from those high‑margin initiatives. Cybercab/Optimus Ramp
• Negative Sentiment: Broader tech sell‑off (tariff rhetoric / geopolitical worries) is pressuring high‑multiple names like Tesla; macro risk is magnifying any Tesla disappointment. Macro Tech Selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Signs of weakening enthusiasm: Tesla shares fell more than the broader market today and social chatter shows polarized views and volatility ahead of earnings — greater downside risk on any miss. TSLA Drop vs Market
• Negative Sentiment: FSD licensing looks less likely as OEMs pursue in‑house solutions and Tesla plans to end free FSD transfers — potential signs FSD monetization and partner revenue are more limited than bulls hoped. FSD Licensing Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Musk’s public spats and X polls (Ryanair) are creating noise and occasional short‑term volatility; investors often react negatively to distractions from core execution. Musk/Ryanair Poll

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TSLA. Dbs Bank upgraded Tesla to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. President Capital lowered their price target on Tesla from $529.00 to $517.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Melius started coverage on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $520.00 price target on the stock. China Renaissance raised their price objective on shares of Tesla from $349.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $307.00 target price (up previously from $247.00) on shares of Tesla in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $410.20.

Insider Transactions at Tesla

In other Tesla news, Director James R. Murdoch sold 60,000 shares of Tesla 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 owned 577,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,009,607.40. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,637 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $443.93, for a total value of $1,170,643.41. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,757 shares in the company, valued at $6,107,145.01. The trade was a 16.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145 over the last three months. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Tesla Trading Down 4.2%

Tesla stock opened at $419.25 on Wednesday. Tesla, Inc. has a one year low of $214.25 and a one year high of $498.83. The business’s fifty day moving average is $442.95 and its 200 day moving average is $401.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.39 trillion, a PE ratio of 279.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.44 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. The business 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%.Tesla’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

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.