Defender Capital LLC. Purchases 5,080 Shares of Tesla, Inc. $TSLA

Defender Capital LLC. lifted its position in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,132 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock after buying an additional 5,080 shares during the period. Tesla makes up approximately 4.0% of Defender Capital LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Defender Capital LLC.’s holdings in Tesla were worth $12,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC increased its stake 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 worth $2,916,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. now owns 855 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. VanderPol Investments L.L.C. grew its holdings 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 worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Tesla by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,577 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $3,814,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Tesla by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $923,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on TSLA. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Tesla from $509.00 to $519.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Tesla from $307.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Tesla from $500.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Tesla from $313.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and nine have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $406.84.

Key Headlines Impacting Tesla

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives reiterates a bullish view on Tesla and calls the Terafab chip push “an emerging AI powerhouse,” supporting upside thesis for Tesla’s AI/robotics roadmap and the stock’s re-rating. Daniel Ives Doubles Down on Tesla Stock, Calls TeraFab Push an ‘Emerging AI Powerhouse’
• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk’s Terafab plan — a reported multi‑billion-dollar chip venture with SpaceX to build advanced fabs in Texas — bolsters Tesla’s vertical integration for AI chips, addressing a key supply bottleneck for Optimus, FSD and future data-center ambitions. Execution risk remains, but market reaction is positive. Tesla (TSLA) Unveils $20B Terafab Chip Manufacturing Venture to Challenge TSMC
• Positive Sentiment: European registrations reversed a year-plus decline in February (nearly +12% YoY), easing concerns about demand in a key market and supporting near-term sales momentum. Investors view this as a tangible recovery signal for vehicle volumes. European car sales rise modestly in February, Tesla reverses year-long skid
• Positive Sentiment: Positive Semi/battery headlines — including “million‑mile” battery claims tied to the Semi and celebrity praise after test drives — are supporting the product pipeline narrative and could improve long‑term revenue mix if commercial adoption scales. “Million-Mile Battery”: Tesla Stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) Jumps With New Semi Battery Claims Tesla Semi Gets Jay Leno Talking — And He Says This Could Be A Game‑Changer
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Tesla is vertically integrating semiconductor production (beyond Terafab coverage) show strategic alignment with autonomy/robotics goals — positive strategically but high capex and execution timelines keep near‑term impact uncertain. Tesla (TSLA) Accelerates Its Autonomous Driving Roadmap By Vertically Integrating Its Semiconductor Production
• Neutral Sentiment: Robotics/robot policy visibility at the White House increases public awareness of the space but the showcased humanoid wasn’t Tesla’s Optimus — a reminder that government attention can help the sector but doesn’t guarantee Tesla leadership. First Humanoid Robot Appears At White House With Melania Trump — And No, It Wasn’t Elon Musk’s Optimus
• Negative Sentiment: Intensifying competition in Europe — BYD’s sales surge (triple‑digit growth) and market share gains — remains a material threat to Tesla’s pricing and volume recovery in the region. That competitive pressure is a key risk to margins and growth expectations. Tesla’s Global Sales Crisis Deepens As BYD Surges 162% In Europe
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational noise around Elon Musk (judge recusal request, political headlines, and offers like paying TSA) keeps regulatory/PR risk elevated — this can affect investor sentiment and invites short‑term volatility. Elon Musk asks judge to recuse herself in Tesla shareholder case, saying she hearted post about him losing a lawsuit White House Rejects Elon Musk Offer to Cover TSA Pay During DHS Shutdown
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny and uncertainty around the robotaxi/self‑driving timeline remain significant — any adverse findings or slower‑than‑expected progress could materially impair the high multiple investors assign to Tesla’s non‑auto growth opportunities. Is Tesla’s Robotaxi Future at Risk? (Hint: Yes, but It’s Complicated)

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,264 shares of Tesla stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.03, for a total value of $898,875.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,188,625.18. This trade represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 25,731 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.56, for a total transaction of $10,692,774.36. Following the sale, the director owned 19,669 shares in the company, valued at $8,173,649.64. The trade was a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 87,995 shares of company stock worth $38,315,650. 19.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Tesla Price Performance

Tesla stock opened at $385.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Tesla, Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.25 and a 52-week high of $498.83. The firm has a market cap of $1.45 trillion, a PE ratio of 357.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 1.89. The company’s 50 day moving average is $411.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $428.07.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The electric vehicle producer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $24.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.75 billion. Tesla had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 4.00%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal 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.