Even Cathie Wood can’t keep Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock down. Recently, the famed investor announced that Ark Invest sold some shares of TSLA to take a position in General Motors (NYSE:GM). While this doesn’t sound like good news for Tesla, the electric vehicle (EV) leader began today trading in the green. Of course, there’s plenty of time left in the day. However, given the broad bearish energy sweeping across markets right now, TSLA is already performing better than expected.
Today, TSLA stock rose 4% today in pre-market trading. As of this writing, it’s now down just 1% for the day. Negative energy is strong right now as fear continues to cast a dark shadow over the financial markets. However, TSLA is determined to keep fighting to stay in the green. After some turbulence last week, the stock is reassuring investors that better days are ahead.
The news from Wood isn’t helping shares stay elevated, but let’s examine the story in context.
What’s Happening with TSLA Stock?
Only a few weeks ago, Cathie Wood was highly bullish on TSLA stock. In April, she said the company would “change the game,” comparing its innovations to those of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Now, the investor has offloaded 15,000 shares of TSLA stock from the Ark Innovation ETF (NYSEMKTS:ARKK). That said, the exchange-traded fund’s largest position is still Tesla, which comprises 9.5% of its $8 billion asset pool.
That’s not all, though. True, Wood has added a position in GM stock. However, that investment was made for a different fund: the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ). While ARKQ is a much smaller fund — managing only $1.2 billion in assets — the new GM investment also only makes up 0.5%. The holding is roughly 158,000 shares, or a $6 million investment. As Barron’s reports, “Tesla is also the largest position in ARKQ, accounting for about 9.7% of total assets.”
So, the underlying message here? Wood still believes in the future of Tesla. Clearly, she sees potential in GM as well — but that doesn’t mean TSLA will fall behind. While the small investment in General Motors is undoubtedly a win for the legacy automaker, it’s by no means a loss for Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his company.
What It Means
It’s not uncommon for funds like the Ark ETFs to reduce large holdings and take small positions in other companies. While the reduced position is by no means great news for Tesla, it won’t effect TSLA stock long-term. After all, the company recently reported an impressive quarter. It has plenty going for it. As InvestorPlace contributor Christian Docan notes, “strong operating performance, robust pricing power, and rising demand” will all come together to help TSLA pull ahead.
TSLA stock has fallen recently due to bearish energy caused by market selloffs. Most companies tumbled last week. However, that doesn’t mean Tesla will stay in the red.
On the date of publication, Samuel O’Brient did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
