Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Given “Hold” Rating at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC restated their hold rating on shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of Tesla in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Dbs Bank raised shares of Tesla to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Glj Research reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $25.28 target price (up from $19.05) on shares of Tesla in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $410.86.

Tesla Stock Performance

TSLA opened at $416.56 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $446.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $406.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 trillion, a P/E ratio of 385.70, a PEG ratio of 7.36 and a beta of 1.83. Tesla has a 1-year low of $214.25 and a 1-year high of $498.83.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.05. Tesla had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $24.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. Tesla’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Tesla will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,391,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $627,145,215.90. The trade was a 3.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,637 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $443.93, for a total transaction of $1,170,643.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,757 shares in the company, valued at $6,107,145.01. This trade represents 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 valued at $53,501,145 over the last three months. 19.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Tesla

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TSLA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Tesla during the second quarter valued at approximately $11,839,824,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Tesla by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,925,024 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $116,443,762,000 after acquiring an additional 6,538,720 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Tesla by 132.2% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,157,000 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $2,738,141,000 after acquiring an additional 3,505,000 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,194,152 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $6,374,284,000 after purchasing an additional 3,422,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Tesla by 38.3% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 10,909,666 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $4,851,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,021,550 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Tesla News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tesla beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations and showed growth in energy-storage revenue, which supports near-term cash flow and offsets auto weakness. Reuters: Tesla revenue beats estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla disclosed a ~$2B investment in Elon Musk’s xAI and reiterated plans to expand robotaxi/Optimus initiatives — a narrative that could re-rate Tesla if the “physical AI” story delivers substantial recurring software or robot revenue. CNBC: Tesla to invest $2B in xAI
• Positive Sentiment: Late-session headlines that SpaceX is exploring a merger or tie‑up with Tesla buoyed sentiment and drove short-term buying interest tied to consolidation/speculation. Reuters: SpaceX said to consider merger with Tesla
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions are mixed — some firms raised targets (TD Cowen, Cantor Fitzgerald), others trimmed them or kept conservative ratings — adding dispersion to near-term price targets and investor guidance expectations. MarketScreener: TD Cowen raises target
• Neutral Sentiment: Tesla disclosed 1.1M active FSD subscriptions and emphasized robotaxi rollout — useful long-term optionality but uncertain timing and monetization scale. Benzinga: FSD subscriptions revealed
• Negative Sentiment: Tesla reported its first full-year revenue decline and falling vehicle deliveries, and profitability was pressured — fundamentals that justify caution for investors focused on the traditional auto business. FT: Tesla suffers first annual drop in revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Management guided capex to more than $20B for 2026 to fund robots, chips and factories — a major increase that raises cash‑burn and execution risk until those investments prove revenue-generating. Reuters: Tesla plans $20B capex
• Negative Sentiment: Ending Model S and Model X production and converting lines for Optimus is disruptive operationally and removes legacy revenue lines while new businesses scale — a near-term headwind with uncertain payback timing. CNBC: Tesla ending Model S and X production

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.