Connect with us

Investor's Corner

Who Are the Top 4 Tesla (TSLA) Shareholders?

Published

on

Recent articles covering the top TSLA shareholders have concentrated on their percentage of the company shares. My interest is in the recent trading patterns, mostly involving options exercises, of these top shareholders. Here are the results on my analysis.

Elon Musk

I really do not need to give a bio of Elon. If you read this site you know everything about the man. He is the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and the Chairman of SolarCity.

Prior to the recent secondary Public offering, he owned about 29.57 million shares. His involvement in the latest offering included 3 major transactions: (1) the exercise of stock options to acquire 5,503,972 shares of Tesla’s common stock, (2) the sale of 2,782,670 shares of TSLA  common stock and (3) donating 1,200,000 shares of common stock to charity. If one also adds all of Mr. Musk shares plus all shares issuable to Musk if all options vested and exercisable within 60 days after March 31, 2016 were hypothetically exercised, Musk has beneficial ownership of 33,738,794 (33.73 million) shares or 22.5% of Tesla’s common stock.

Antonio J. Gracias

Antonio J. Gracias serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Investment Committee of private-equity-fund operator Value Equity Partners. His duties include overall responsibility for the Firm’s management, operations, and investing. He also sits on the boards of Tesla Motors (a company in which Valor invests), SolarCity and SpaceX.

According to his bio on the Tesla Investors site, “Mr. Gracias holds a joint B.S. and M.S.F.S. (honors degree) in International Finance and Economics from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He also studied corporate structures and economic development at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to completing his Masters, Mr. Gracias returned to Japan as a Nikko Securities Fellow. Mr. Gracias holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. He is fluent in Spanish, proficient in Portuguese, and has a working knowledge of Japanese.”

Advertisement

In 2013, Mr Gracia was one of the subjects of the Wall Street Journal article “Directors Take Shelter in Trading Plans.”

According to the article, “These plans—opaque documents about which little is disclosed to regulators or the public—increasingly are moving beyond the executives for whom they were chiefly devised and finding favor with a different variety of insider: members of boards of directors, including some who run investment funds. Non-executive directors’ [such as Antonio J. Gracias] use of so-called 10b5-1 trading plans, which lay out future stock trades at set prices or on set dates, has jumped 55% since 2008, a Wall Street Journal analysis of regulatory filings found. […] Valor set up a 10b5-1 plan in November 2011 and Mr. Gracias reported the sale of 927,205 of Valor’s Tesla shares from March 9 through March 20, 2012, regulatory filings show [FORM 4]. In those 11 days, Valor sold $32 million of Tesla stock, more than half its stake. Tesla’s stock price soon got hit.’

There is no requirement to disclose the terms of trading plans. Even their existence often remains hidden. Tesla does report these types of transaction in FORM 4 disclosures.

Looking at the FORM 4 disclosures, a.k.a. Statement of Beneficial Ownership, for Antonio J. Gracias available on Tesla investor web site, for the past year, I discovered that he received several Non-Qualified Stock Option awards for his work as Director of Tesla: 50,000 with exercise of $261.89 on 6/18/2015, 51,000 with exercise of $250.69 on 6/12/2015. All these options are currently “under water” (below the current stock price) and effectively worthless, until the stock moves above the exercise price.

On 6/2 and 6/3, 2014 Antonio J. Gracias sold about $3 million of TSLA stock owned through his Trust and the AIJ Growth Fund.

Advertisement

As of May 15, 2016, Antonio Gracias held 254,647 shares of Tesla, which were worth approximately $56.5 million, and represent about 0.18% of Tesla’s common stock.

Kimbal Musk

According to Tesla Investors web site, “Kimbal Musk is CEO of Medium, Inc, an internet software company based in Boulder, Colo. Prior to Medium, he has been involved in many young businesses. Mr. Musk and his brother, Elon, started their first company, Zip2, an early content management company for the Internet, 1995. It was the first company to bring vector-based maps and door-to-door directions to the internet, and it built the online content management systems behind more than 100 media companies, including The New York Times. Zip2 was sold for $307 million in cash in 1999, one of the largest transactions of its kind in the internet industry.”

He sits on the board of Tesla Motors and SpaceX.

Looking at his latest filed FORM 4, Statement of Beneficial Ownership, on 5/2/2016 he exercised 5,555 non-qualified stock options, with exercise price of $29.6, and sold them at a $1.15 million profit.

As of May 15, 2016, Musk Kimbal held 152,325 shares of Tesla, which are worth approximately $33.81 million, and represent about 0.10% of Tesla’s common stock.

Advertisement

Jeffrey B. Straubel

Like Elon Musk, Jeffrey B. Straubel also known as “JB” needs no introduction as Chief Technology Officer of Tesla Motors.

According to the company’s Investors page, “As a co-founder of Tesla, JB has overseen the technical and engineering design of the vehicles, focusing on the battery, motor, power electronics, and high-level software sub-systems. Additionally, he evaluates new technology, manages vehicle systems testing, and handles technical interface with key vendors.”

Looking at the FORM 4 filings of the last couple of years for Jeffrey B. Straubel, two things are interesting to note. First on 4/11/2016 he was awarded 1,837 ISOs (Incentive Stock Options) and 61, 771 NSOs (Non-qualified Stock Options), at an exercise price of $249.92. As with Antonio Gracias, these options are underwater, and worthless at the moment, given the current stock price.

Secondly, between May 2015 and December 2015, Jeffrey B Straubel, set up pre-determined Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan, where he would exercise and sell about 10,000 options in almost every month, on the 15th of the month. Accordingly, he exercised and sold 75,000 shares of stock, at prices between $206 and $263, for a total profit of about $17.8 million.  Not too shabby for the tech guy.

As of May 15, 2016, Jeffrey B. Straubel held 242,818 shares of Tesla, which are worth approximately $53.90 million, and represent about 0.17% of Tesla’s common stock.

Advertisement

Technical Analysis

Looking at today’s $TSLA stock action, TSLA is having a flat day like the rest of the market. The stock is still above the 200-day moving average, but the candle is forming a Doji, usually a sign of indecision. This could mean the end of the 10-session Heikin Ashi positive pay-day-cycle or just a pause in the up trend. I have a conditional stop at $220, that will ensure I keep some profits from the swing trade I started 12 trading-days ago.

This afternoon at 2PM PDT, the Tesla Motors Inc. 2016 Annual Shareholder’s Meeting is being held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA.. It will be streaming online at:

https://www.teslamotors.com/2016shareholdermeeting

 

Advertisement

Investor's Corner

Tesla could save $2.5B by replacing 10% of staff with Optimus: Morgan Stanley

Jonas assigned each robot a net present value (NPV) of $200,000.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) near-term outlook may be clouded by political controversies and regulatory headwinds, but Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas sees a glimmer of opportunity for the electric vehicle maker. 

In a new note, the Morgan Stanley analyst estimated that Tesla could save $2.5 billion by replacing just 10% of its workforce with its Optimus robots, assigning each robot a net present value (NPV) of $200,000.

Morgan Stanley highlights Optimus’ savings potential

Jonas highlighted the potential savings on Tesla’s workforce of 125,665 employees in his note, suggesting that the utilization of Optimus robots could significantly reduce labor costs. The analyst’s note arrived shortly after Tesla reported Q2 2025 deliveries of 384,122 vehicles, which came close to Morgan Stanley’s estimate and slightly under the consensus of 385,086.

“Tesla has 125,665 employees worldwide (year-end 2024). On our calculations, a 10% substitution to humanoid at approximately ($200k NPV/humanoid) could be worth approximately $2.5bn,” Jonas wrote, as noted by Street Insider.

Jonas also issued some caution on Tesla Energy, whose battery storage deployments were flat year over year at 9.6 GWh. Morgan Stanley had expected Tesla Energy to post battery storage deployments of 14 GWh in the second quarter.

Advertisement

Musk’s political ambitions

The backdrop to Jonas’ note included Elon Musk’s involvement in U.S. politics. The Tesla CEO recently floated the idea of launching a new political party, following a poll on X that showed support for the idea. Though a widely circulated FEC filing was labeled false by Musk, the CEO does seem intent on establishing a third political party in the United States. 

Jonas cautioned that Musk’s political efforts could divert attention and resources from Tesla’s core operations, adding near-term pressure on TSLA stock. “We believe investors should be prepared for further devotion of resources (financial, time/attention) in the direction of Mr. Musk’s political priorities which may add further near-term pressure to TSLA shares,” Jonas stated.

Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Two Tesla bulls share differing insights on Elon Musk, the Board, and politics

Two noted Tesla bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Two noted Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.

While Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called on Tesla’s board to take concrete steps to ensure Musk remains focused on the EV maker, longtime Tesla supporter Cathie Wood of Ark Invest reaffirmed her confidence in the CEO and the company’s leadership.

Ives warns of distraction risk amid crucial growth phase

In a recent note, Ives stated that Tesla is at a critical point in its history, as the company is transitioning from an EV maker towards an entity that is more focused on autonomous driving and robotics. He then noted that the Board of Directors should “act now” and establish formal boundaries around Musk’s political activities, which could be a headwind on TSLA stock. 

Ives laid out a three-point plan that he believes could ensure that the electric vehicle maker is led with proper leadership until the end of the decade. First off, the analyst noted that a new “incentive-driven pay package for Musk as CEO that increases his ownership of Tesla up to ~25% voting power” is necessary. He also stated that the Board should establish clear guidelines for how much time Musk must devote to Tesla operations in order to receive his compensation, and a dedicated oversight committee must be formed to monitor the CEO’s political activities.

Ives, however, highlighted that Tesla should move forward with Musk at its helm. “We urge the Board to act now and move the Tesla story forward with Musk as CEO,” he wrote, reiterating its Outperform rating on Tesla stock and $500 per share price target.

Advertisement

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to Ives’ suggestions with a brief comment on X. “Shut up, Dan,” Musk wrote.

Cathie Wood reiterates trust in Musk and Tesla board

Meanwhile, Ark Investment Management founder Cathie Wood expressed little concern over Musk’s latest controversies. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Wood said, “We do trust the board and the board’s instincts here and we stay out of politics.” She also noted that Ark has navigated Musk-related headlines since it first invested in Tesla.

Wood also pointed to Musk’s recent move to oversee Tesla’s sales operations in the U.S. and Europe as evidence of his renewed focus in the electric vehicle maker. “When he puts his mind on something, he usually gets the job done,” she said. “So I think he’s much less distracted now than he was, let’s say, in the White House 24/7,” she said.

TSLA stock is down roughly 25% year-to-date but has gained about 19% over the past 12 months, as noted in a StocksTwits report.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Cantor Fitzgerald maintains Tesla (TSLA) ‘Overweight’ rating amid Q2 2025 deliveries

Cantor Fitzgerald is holding firm on its bullish stance for the electric vehicle maker.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla China

Cantor Fitzgerald is holding firm on its bullish stance for Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), reiterating its “Overweight” rating and $355 price target amidst the company’s release of its Q2 2025 vehicle delivery and production report. 

Tesla delivered 384,122 vehicles in Q2 2025, falling below last year’s Q2 figure of 443,956 units. Despite softer demand in some countries in Europe and ongoing controversies surrounding CEO Elon Musk, the firm maintained its view that Tesla is a long-term growth story in the EV sector.

Tesla’s Q2 results

Among the 384,122 vehicles that Tesla delivered in the second quarter, 373,728 were Model 3 and Model Y. The remaining 10,394 units were attributed to the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck. Production was largely flat year-over-year at 410,244 units.

In the energy division, Tesla deployed 9.6 GWh of energy storage in Q2, which was above last year’s 9.4 GWh. Overall, Tesla continues to hold a strong position with $95.7 billion in trailing twelve-month revenue and a 17.7% gross margin, as noted in a report from Investing.com.

Tesla’s stock is still volatile

Tesla’s market cap fell to $941 billion on Monday amid volatility that was likely caused in no small part by CEO Elon Musk’s political posts on X over the weekend. Musk has announced that he is forming the America Party to serve as a third option for voters in the United States, a decision that has earned the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Advertisement

Despite Musk’s controversial nature, some analysts remain bullish on TSLA stock. Apart from Cantor Fitzgerald, Canaccord Genuity also reiterated its “Buy” rating on Tesla shares, with the firm highlighting the company’s positive Q2 vehicle deliveries, which exceeded its expectations by 24,000 units. Cannacord also noted that Tesla remains strong in several markets despite its year-over-year decline in deliveries.

Continue Reading

Trending