Even those who don't keep close tabs on Tesla (TSLA -2.44%) are surely familiar with Elon Musk and the commanding position he plays in the company's operations. Musk is also the largest shareholder of Tesla stock.
However, that's not to say that there aren't other individuals and institutions with sizable positions in Tesla. Let's take a look at some of the other major investors in Tesla stock.
A who's who of Tesla stockholders
With regard to individual insider investors, the next-largest Tesla shareholder after Elon Musk is his brother Kimbal Musk. While Elon Musk owned about 13% of Tesla stock as of Dec. 31, Kimbal Musk owned 1,608,720 shares, representing approximately 0.05%, as of April 2024. A Tesla board member for the past 20 years, Kimbal Musk also sits on the board of another of his brother's ventures, SpaceX.
In terms of institutional owners, Vanguard retains the top spot as the largest owner of Tesla stock, a position that dwarfs Kimbal Musk's ownership stake. Holding 229,805,491 shares of Tesla, the Vanguard Group's position represents more than 7.2% of outstanding Tesla stock. Although it's not as sizable as Vanguard's position, it's worth noting that BlackRock isn't far behind, owning about 5.9% of Tesla's outstanding shares.
Is now the time for you to become a shareholder?
Since the start of the year, it's the bears that have been behind the wheel, driving the downward movement in Tesla stock. While the S&P 500 has risen more than 11%, shares of Tesla have plummeted about 27%. Although many pessimists think that Tesla's best days are in the rearview mirror, there are plenty of others who believe that the company will be able to transcend the rocky road it's currently traveling and regain its former glory.
There are valid arguments to be made by both groups of investors, but whether the stock belongs in your own portfolio requires you to conduct your own due diligence and apprise yourself of the company's potential through a SWOT analysis.
