These U.S. politicians dumped Tesla shares just before big earnings miss

Core Insights - Several U.S. politicians sold Tesla shares shortly before the company's disappointing Q1 2025 earnings report, raising concerns about potential insider knowledge [9][10]. Group 1: Politicians' Stock Transactions - Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros sold Tesla shares valued between $1,001 and $15,000 on March 31, 2025, coinciding with an 8% drop in TSLA stock [1]. - New Jersey's Josh Gottheimer sold a similar amount of Tesla shares on March 19, 2025, which preceded a modest 0.89% gain in the stock price [2]. - Congressman Vicente Gonzalez executed a significant transaction, buying TSLA shares on March 4 and selling them for between $100,000 and $250,000 on March 17, 2025 [4][5]. Group 2: Tesla's Q1 2025 Earnings Report - Tesla reported adjusted earnings of $0.27 per share, missing the expected $0.39, and revenue of $19.34 billion, down 9% from $21.3 billion the previous year, and below the anticipated $21.11 billion [6]. - Automotive revenue fell 20%, dropping to $14 billion from $17.4 billion the prior year [7]. - Despite disappointing results, Tesla's stock rose by more than 6% to $252 in after-hours trading on April 22, although it has plummeted nearly 40% year-to-date [7][10]. Group 3: Market Challenges - Tesla faced intense competition in China from domestic EV makers like BYD, which eroded its market share [11]. - The company struggled with declining sales, exacerbated by backlash related to CEO Elon Musk's political views [11]. - Tesla warned that evolving trade policies are disrupting global supply chains and increasing costs, which may affect near-term demand for its products [12].