Big Money Bets On Tesla Stock: Billionaire Bulls and Bears In Q3

Core Viewpoint - The third quarter saw a significant divergence in investment strategies regarding Tesla, with some institutional investors heavily buying shares while others reduced their exposure, indicating a split sentiment among Wall Street elites [1][11]. Group 1: Bullish Investors - Cathie Wood of ARK Invest demonstrated strong conviction in Tesla by purchasing 512,158 shares, viewing the Q3 price action as a prime buying opportunity [2][7]. - Other notable bullish investors included Andreas Halvorsen of Viking Global Investors, who acquired 509,497 shares, and Renaissance Technologies, which added 424,490 shares [4][7]. - The diverse investment philosophies among these bullish investors—from aggressive growth to fundamental equity picking and algorithmic trading—signal broad institutional confidence in Tesla [8]. Group 2: Bearish Investors - Peter Thiel was a prominent bearish figure, selling 207,613 shares, although this amount was less than half of the shares purchased by the top three buyers [9]. - Other investors like Ray Dalio and George Soros also reduced their positions, selling 19,413 and 3,209 shares respectively, but these reductions were minor compared to the significant buying activity [10]. Group 3: Market Performance - Tesla's stock price increased approximately 37% since the Q3 average of $346, with Wood's shares likely yielding a paper gain of over $65 million in a few months [7]. - At the time of publication, Tesla shares were trading at $478.94, close to its 52-week high of $488.53 [11].