Elon Musk offered practically $7 billion value of
Tesla Inc.
inventory in latest days, regulatory disclosures present, amid uncertainty over the destiny of his $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter Inc.
Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief govt and largest shareholder, offered round 7.9 million shares between Friday and Tuesday, the disclosures present, leaving him with a 15% stake within the firm.
The Tesla boss has been on a promoting spree over the previous 12 months, throughout which he has cashed out roughly $32 billion value of shares within the electric-vehicle maker. That features round $8.5 billion of gross sales in April, whereas Mr. Musk was lining up financing to take over Twitter. On the time, he tweeted: “No additional TSLA gross sales deliberate after at present.”
Neither Tesla nor Mr. Musk responded to a request for remark.
Mr. Musk has since tried to stroll away from shopping for Twitter, which is suing him to implement the takeover. The case is headed to court docket in October.
If the choose had been to drive Mr. Musk to consummate the transaction, he may very well be on the hook for greater than $33 billion in fairness financing, in keeping with a regulatory submitting. He already owns greater than 9% of Twitter, valued at roughly $four billion at $54.20 a share, Mr. Musk’s buyout worth.
Requested on Twitter if he was achieved promoting shares, Mr. Musk tweeted, “Sure.” (He additionally mentioned in April that he wasn’t planning extra gross sales.)
On Tuesday, he added: “Within the (hopefully unlikely) occasion that Twitter forces this deal to shut and a few fairness companions don’t come by means of, it is very important keep away from an emergency sale of Tesla inventory.”
If the Twitter deal doesn’t shut, Mr. Musk would purchase Tesla inventory once more, he mentioned. He additionally urged he may arrange his personal social-media platform—X.com—if the deal falls by means of. He mentioned earlier than agreeing to purchase Twitter that he was “giving severe thought” to such an endeavor.
Mr. Musk, whose internet value totals round $250 billion, in keeping with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is compensated in inventory awards and doesn’t settle for a wage from Tesla.
He had lengthy been reluctant to promote shares within the firm, which might weaken his management. A lot of final 12 months’s gross sales had been designated to cowl tax withholding obligations related to exercising inventory choices.
Final week, Tesla shareholders cleared the way in which for a 3-for-1 inventory break up that the corporate has mentioned is designed to make possession extra accessible to workers and particular person traders.
The break up is because of take impact Aug. 25 for shareholders of file on Aug. 17, the corporate mentioned final week.
Write to Rebecca Elliott at rebecca.elliott@wsj.com
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Appeared within the August 10, 2022, print version as ‘Musk Sells Tesla Inventory Valued at $7 Billion.’
