TLDR
- Citizens analyst Andrew Boone initiated Tesla with a Hold rating and no price target, citing robotaxi and humanoid robot profits being too far off
- Tesla stock opened at $394.11 Thursday, down roughly 12% year to date with a 52-week range of $293.55–$498.83
- Tesla does not expect meaningful revenue from its self-driving cab service until 2027 at the earliest
- Only 40% of analysts rate Tesla a Buy, well below the 55–60% typical for S&P 500 stocks; average price target sits at $408.52
- Institutional investors own 66.2% of Tesla, while insiders have sold over $12.3 million worth of stock in the past three months
Tesla (TSLA) stock opened at $394.11 on Thursday after Citizens analyst Andrew Boone launched coverage with a Hold rating and no price target.
Boone’s hesitation centers on timing. He sees “immense” potential in Tesla’s physical AI push — robo-taxis and humanoid robots — but says meaningful earnings from either business are still too far away to justify buying the stock now.
Tesla launched its robo-taxi service in Austin in June 2025. It has since expanded to a handful of cities, but the company itself doesn’t expect real revenue from autonomous cabs until 2027 at the earliest.
Boone also flagged the risk that a slow rollout could eventually frustrate investors who have already priced in a lot of optimism.
Tesla stock was up 0.4% in premarket trading at $395.77 before the open. Coming into Thursday, the stock was down around 12% year to date, though it’s up about 33% over the past 12 months.
The Hold call hasn’t moved the needle much. Tesla was already down roughly 6% over the prior two days heading into Thursday, leaving it roughly flat on the week.
Wall Street Is Split
Boone isn’t alone in his caution. Only about 40% of analysts covering Tesla rate it a Buy — that’s well below the 55–60% Buy-rating average for a typical S&P 500 name.
Of the 45 analysts tracked by MarketBeat, 21 have a Buy, 20 have a Hold, and four have a Sell. The consensus average price target is $408.52.
Recent moves have been mixed. RBC raised its target to $500 with an Outperform rating. Mizuho cut its target from $540 to $480 but kept an Outperform. Guggenheim and HSBC both sit at Neutral/Hold.
Tesla posted Q1 EPS of $0.41, beating the $0.39 consensus. Revenue came in at $22.39 billion, missing the $22.96 billion estimate. Year-over-year revenue was up 15.8%.
Institutional Buying Continues, But Insiders Are Selling
Despite the mixed analyst sentiment, institutions keep adding. Resona Asset Management raised its Tesla stake by 1.8% in Q1, bringing its holdings to 892,972 shares worth roughly $329 million. Tesla is now Resona’s ninth-largest holding.
Other firms including Crestwood Advisors, Calamos Wealth Management, and Private Capital Advisors also added to their positions. Hedge funds and institutions now own 66.2% of the company.
On the insider side, the picture is less encouraging. Director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold 26,409 shares at $378.11 on April 30, reducing her stake by 35.3%. CFO Vaibhav Taneja sold 3,000 shares at $450 on May 13 to cover tax obligations. Total insider sales over the past three months: roughly $12.4 million.
Tesla’s 52-week range runs from $293.55 to $498.83. Its 50-day moving average is $409.15 and its 200-day is $409.76 — both sitting above the current price.
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