Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Trading Up 3.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

30 Jan 2026, 17:22 by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA – Get Free Report)’s share price traded up 3.3% during mid-day trading on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $307.00 to $352.00. UBS Group currently has a sell rating on the stock. Tesla traded as high as $439.88 and last traded at $430.41. 82,226,694 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 29% from the average session volume of 63,717,016 shares. The stock had previously closed at $416.56.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Tesla in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, January 5th. China Renaissance upped their price target 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, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Tesla from $483.00 to $508.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Tesla presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $409.58.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on TSLA

Insider Buying and Selling at Tesla

In related news, CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 2,637 shares of Tesla 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,107,145.01. This trade represents a 16.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kimbal Musk sold 56,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 1,391,615 shares in the company, valued at $627,145,215.90. This represents a 3.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 119,457 shares of company stock worth $53,501,145. Corporate insiders own 19.90% of the company’s stock.

Tesla News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Tesla this week:

Positive Sentiment: SpaceX merger chatter lifted sentiment — investors see a potential consolidation that could add scale/value to Musk’s ecosystem and create cross-company synergies that benefit TSLA. Tesla jumps as SpaceX merger talks fuel Musk empire consolidation hopes
Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates on EPS and revenue and highlighted growth in energy/storage and FSD subscriptions — the market rewarded the beat and the narrative that Tesla is becoming a “physical AI” play (robotaxi/Optimus/AI chips). Tesla revenue beats estimates despite weaker vehicle deliveries
Positive Sentiment: Tesla’s announced $2B investment in Elon Musk’s xAI signals deeper AI integration across Tesla products and closer alignment across Musk companies — a theme investors liked alongside the merger speculation. Tesla to invest $2 billion in xAI
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions remain mixed — several firms raised targets citing the “physical AI” upside while others trimmed targets or reiterated cautious ratings given near-term execution and valuation risks (expect continued volatility around revisions).
Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 capex ($20B+) and a strategic pivot to robotics/robotaxis raise near-term cash burn and execution risk; investors will watch margins, free cash flow and how quickly Optimus/Cybercab ramps. Tesla plans $20 billion capital spending spree
Negative Sentiment: Management will end Model S and X production to free Fremont capacity for robots — a logical long-term move but one that underscores transition risk and contributes to short-term revenue/margin uncertainty. Elon Musk says Tesla ending Models S and X production

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tesla

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Networth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Tesla in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Tesla by 79.4% during the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. acquired a new position in Tesla in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Tesla during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Prism Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Tesla in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 66.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Tesla Trading Up 3.3%

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 firm has a market cap of $1.43 trillion, a PE ratio of 398.53, a PEG ratio of 7.36 and a beta of 1.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $446.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $406.71.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA – Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $24.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. Tesla’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Tesla, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tesla Company Profile

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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.