Bank of America Begins Coverage on Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Bank of America started coverage on shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) in a research note issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price target on the electric vehicle producer’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.47% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on TSLA. DZ Bank reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $540.00 target price on shares of Tesla and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $510.00 price target on shares of Tesla in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $406.84.

Tesla Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:TSLA opened at $405.39 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $426.74 and a 200 day moving average of $422.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $1.52 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 375.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 1.89. Tesla has a 52 week low of $214.25 and a 52 week 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $24.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.75 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 4.00%.The business’s revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Tesla will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Tesla

In related news, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.66, for a total value of $25,606,501.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,391,615 shares in the company, valued at $627,145,215.90. This trade represents a 3.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.56, for a total value of $10,692,774.36. Following the sale, the director owned 19,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,173,649.64. The trade was a 56.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 145,188 shares of company stock valued at $64,193,919. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tesla

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

Key Tesla News

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reinstated coverage with a Buy rating and a $460 price target, highlighting Tesla’s leadership in consumer autonomy and robotaxi upside — a bullish call that lifted sentiment and prompted earlier buying interest. BofA bullish on Tesla
• Positive Sentiment: Mixed but improving Europe deliveries: Tesla reported stronger February registrations in several EU markets (notably France and Portugal), suggesting a potential regional rebound that supports revenue expectations if the trend continues. Tesla Reverses Sales Slump In Europe
• Neutral Sentiment: Elon Musk reiterated Tesla’s long‑term robotics/AI ambitions, claiming Optimus and related work could lead toward AGI in humanoid form — a high‑conviction, long‑horizon narrative that supports premium valuation assumptions but is speculative for near‑term earnings. Elon Musk: Tesla’s Robots Could Reach AGI
• Neutral Sentiment: Major Tesla shareholder Leo KoGuan disclosed a large purchase of Nvidia shares; while not a Tesla trade, it signals some heavyweight holders reallocating into AI hardware, which can pull marginal flows away from high‑beta names like TSLA. Billionaire buys 1M Nvidia shares
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory overhang: Tesla must submit detailed FSD data to the NHTSA by March 9 — a deadline investors view as binary for the autonomy narrative. A weak submission or escalating scrutiny would directly threaten the valuation premium tied to robotaxi/autonomy prospects. Tesla’s 2026 May Hinge on a March 9 Outcome
• Negative Sentiment: UK sales weakness: SMMT/Reuters data show a ~37% drop in Tesla UK deliveries in February, underscoring intensified competition from BYD and others — concrete sales softness that can pressure near‑term revenue and sentiment. Tesla UK car sales drop 37%
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: BNP Paribas/other firms have cut price targets (BNP to $280) and at least one downgrade is linked to recent pullbacks — analyst skepticism keeps downside risk on the table and can amplify selling if negative news hits. BNP Paribas cuts price target
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive threat from BYD: technical advances (faster charging/battery developments) and moves to expand into Canada/other markets pose longer‑term market‑share pressure that investors view as a structural risk to Tesla’s growth margins. BYD new 5-minute battery charger

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.