• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Tesla raised a whopping $738 million in its stock sale

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 20, 2015, 1:42 PM ET
Photograph by Johannes Eisele — AFP/Getty Images

Tesla raised $738 million from a stock sale, which closed on Wednesday, according to a regulatory filing, far exceeding the electric carmaker’s original estimates.

The company originally was looking to raise closer to $500 million last week, and then boosted that number to about $650 million a day later by agreeing to sell more shares. The reason for the higher amount is that the underwriters of the secondary stock sale — which included Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — exercised their options to buy additional shares.

All in all, Tesla sold 2.69 million shares plus an additional 404,000 to the underwriters. Tesla’s billionaire CEO Elon Musk also planned to spend $20 million buying shares in the deal.

Tesla plans to use the proceeds of its stock sale to help pay for its massive spending spree as it attempts to grow into a big — and eventually profitable — business with multiple product lines. The company is planning to introduce its SUV Model X next month, it’s designing its Model 3 car, it’s building a huge battery factory near Reno, Nevada, and it’s scaling up its grid battery business, which will sell batteries to utilities, companies and homeowners to connect to the power grid.

As part of its expansion, Tesla (TSLA) is planning on spending $1.5 billion in capital expenses this year. It’s “a staggering” amount of money, as Musk put it in an earnings call earlier this year. But with the investment, Musk has said he thinks Tesla can eventually become a company that is as valuable as Apple (AAPL), which currently has a market capitalization of $643 billion.

Tesla has already raised billions of dollars in debt and equity in recent years. Even if all goes well, Tesla likely won’t be regularly profitable until 2020. In its most recent earnings call, Tesla lowered its annual car shipment guidance from 55,000 cars in 2015 to between 50,000 and 55,000 this year.

For more about Tesla, watch this Fortune video:

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

addiction
LawSocial Media
Google lawyer on YouTube: ‘It’s not social media addiction when it’s not social media and it’s not an addiction’
By Kaitlyn Huamani, Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressFebruary 11, 2026
32 minutes ago
nest
LawCrime
Law enforcement thought Nancy Guthrie’s smart camera was disconnected, but Google Nest still had the tape
By Safiyah Riddle, Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressFebruary 11, 2026
47 minutes ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Meta and YouTube’s teen addiction trial begins
By Alexei OreskovicFebruary 11, 2026
2 hours ago
NewslettersCEO Daily
Google AI boss Demis Hassabis has a 4-step plan to return the tech giant to its ‘golden era’
By Alyson ShontellFebruary 11, 2026
2 hours ago
C-SuiteFortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry
How Demis Hassabis is leading Google through an innovator’s dilemma—and made OpenAI declare ‘code red’
By Fortune EditorsFebruary 11, 2026
2 hours ago
CryptoRobinhood
Robinhood launches test version of its own blockchain
By Jeff John RobertsFebruary 10, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
America borrowed $43.5 billion a week in the first four months of the fiscal year, with debt interest on track to be over $1 trillion for 2026
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 10, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Meet Jody Allen, the billionaire owner of the Seattle Seahawks, who plans to sell the team and donate the proceeds to charity
By Jake AngeloFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
It turns out that Joe Biden really did crush Americans' dreams for the future. Just look at how the vibe changed 5 years ago
By Jake AngeloFebruary 10, 2026
15 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
As billionaires bail, Mark Zuckerberg doubles down on California with $50 million donation
By Sydney LakeFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
China might be beginning to back away from U.S. debt as investors get nervous about overexposure to American assets
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold says his plumber dad played with him every day after work, no matter how tough his day was—and that taught him resilience
By Emma BurleighFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.