Tesla Stock 'Engineered, Not Earned,' Says Gordon Johnson As Call Buying Surge Drives Put-To-Call Ratio Down

Benzinga
2025.08.30 08:33
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Tesla Inc. faces allegations of stock manipulation as analyst Gordon Johnson claims its prices are artificially supported through options trading, not fundamentals. The put-to-call ratio dropped from 0.85x to 0.67x, indicating increased bullish activity. Tesla's stock closed at $333.87, down 3.50%. Consumer distrust in Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology is growing, with a survey showing nearly half of Americans deeming it should be illegal. Additionally, Tesla's European sales fell 40.2% year-over-year, while competitor BYD Co. Ltd. saw a 225% increase in sales.

Tesla Inc. TSLA stock manipulation claims surface as analyst Gordon Johnson points to aggressive options trading amid mounting company challenges and declining global market share.

Check out the current price of TSLA stock here.

Analyst Claims Options Manipulation Behind Tesla’s Stability

Johnson, an analyst at GLJ Research, alleged on Friday that Tesla’s stock prices are being artificially supported through options market manipulation rather than fundamental performance.

“TSLA isn’t trading on fundamentals – it’s being actively manipulated through the options market,” Johnson wrote on X. “Despite abysmal news, the stock is flat. Why? Someone is aggressively buying calls.”

Johnson cited data showing Tesla’s put-to-call ratio collapsed from 0.85x to 0.67x in a single day, indicating increased bullish options activity. Tesla closed at $333.87, down 3.50% on Friday.

Put-Call Data Reveals Bullish Options Activity

Current options metrics show Tesla’s volume ratio at 0.61, suggesting more call options than puts are being traded. The implied volatility stands at 44.88%, above the historic volatility of 40.95%.

Johnson’s analysis referenced trading data showing Tesla’s stock price movement from approximately $160 to peaks near $480, with recent stabilization around $320-350. The company maintains a market cap of $1.05 trillion with a price to earnings ratio of 193.51.

Tesla Faces Growing Consumer Distrust Over FSD Technology

A survey of 8,000 U.S. consumers revealed that nearly half of Americans believe Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) should be illegal. The study showed 70% of respondents prefer autonomous vehicles use both LiDAR and cameras, while only 3% support Tesla’s vision-only approach.

Global Market Share Erodes Amid Rising Competition

Tesla’s European sales dropped 40.2% year-over-year to 8,837 units in July, while market share fell from 1.4% to 0.8%. Chinese competitor BYD Co. Ltd. surged 225% in Europe, selling 13,503 units and capturing 1.2% market share.

TSLA shows strong Momentum at 88.14 and solid Growth at 74.62, with its price trending upward across the short, medium, and long term. Know how its momentum lines up with other well-known names.

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