Tesla (TSLA) Stock: Elon Musk Purchases $1 Billion Worth of Shares in September

TLDR

Table of Contents

Elon Musk purchased $1 billion worth of Tesla stock on September 12, buying 2.57 million shares at prices between $372-$396
The purchase increased Musk’s Tesla stake to approximately 13%, adding 0.6% to his holdings
Tesla shares jumped 9% in premarket trading following news of Musk’s stock purchase
A new $1 trillion CEO compensation package is set for shareholder vote in November, tied to ambitious performance goals
Analysts view Tesla’s AI and robotaxi developments as a potential $1 trillion opportunity for the company

Tesla shares surged in premarket trading Monday after CEO Elon Musk revealed a massive $1 billion stock purchase. The world’s richest man clearly isn’t shy about putting his money where his mouth is.

JUST IN : ELON MUSK JUST SPENT $1 BILLION DOLLARS TO BUY 2.57 MIL
MILLION TESLA SHARES IN THE OPEN MARKET
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE BOUGHT TESLA SHARES IN OVER 5 YEAR ( LAST TIME WAS IN FEB 2020 )$TSLA pic.twitter.com/Wg8bcy0R9O
— GURGAVIN (@gurgavin) September 15, 2025

SEC filings show Musk bought approximately 2.57 million Tesla shares on September 12. The purchase prices ranged from $372 to $396 per share.

The buying spree boosted Musk’s ownership stake in the electric vehicle maker to roughly 13%. That represents an increase of about 0.6% in his total holdings.

Musk now controls around 413 million Tesla shares, excluding stock options. His total stake includes shares he’s accumulated since taking control of the company in 2008.

The $1 Trillion Pay Package Play

The stock purchase comes as Tesla’s board prepares for a November shareholder vote on a new CEO compensation plan. This isn’t your typical executive pay package – it could reach $1 trillion if Musk hits all performance targets.

The compensation structure ties Musk’s rewards to Tesla achieving massive growth milestones. These include pushing the company’s market value above $8 trillion and selling one million robots over the next decade.

If Tesla reaches these targets, Musk’s voting control would jump to between 25% and 29%. That’s exactly the level of control he’s been pushing for since January.

Musk has previously stated he wouldn’t expand Tesla’s AI efforts without owning around 25% of the company. The new pay package gives him a clear path to that goal.

AI Arms Race Heats Up

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives believes artificial intelligence is driving investor excitement around Tesla. He sees the company positioned as a leader in the autonomous vehicle market.

Tesla’s robotaxi service launched in Austin, Texas in June. The company recently received approvals to test self-driving vehicles in Las Vegas as well.

Ives expects Tesla to scale its robotaxi operations to 30-35 US cities over the next year. He calls AI a $1 trillion opportunity for Tesla.

The analyst describes Musk as being in “wartime CEO” mode. This comes as tech giants pour hundreds of billions into AI development.

Amazon owns self-driving company Zoox. Alphabet controls Waymo, another autonomous vehicle player.

Tesla shares rallied 13% last week before Monday’s premarket gains. The stock has climbed nearly 60% over the past six months.

Technical traders point to momentum carrying Tesla past spring highs. Strong August EV sales data also supported the recent rally.

Buyers appear to be rushing to purchase electric vehicles before federal tax credits expire. The $7,500 EV purchase credit goes away at the end of September.

Tesla sold about 721,000 vehicles in the first half of 2025. That represents a 13% decline compared to the same period last year.

Ives maintains a $500 price target on Tesla shares, the highest on Wall Street. The average analyst target sits around $318 per share.

Only 44% of analysts rate Tesla stock a buy. That compares to 55% for the average S&P 500 company.

Tesla stock was down about 2% year-to-date entering Monday’s session. The shares have gained 72% over the past 12 months.

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