Wall Street

Elon Musk says he's going to buy $20 million of Tesla stock

Key Points
  • Tesla chief Elon Musk told the electric car company that he plans to purchase $20 million of common stock during the next open trading window.
  • Tesla shares rallied after the filing. Musk is the company's largest shareholder, holding more than $9 billion worth of the stock before Wednesday's announcement.
  • The SEC filing also detailed Tesla and Musk's settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A judge approved the settlement Tuesday.
Elon Musk intends to buy $20 million of Tesla stock
VIDEO1:0701:07
Elon Musk intends to buy $20 million of Tesla stock

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk told the electric car company that he plans to purchase $20 million of common stock during the next open trading window, according to a filing related to the CEO's settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Separate and apart from the settlement, Elon has notified Tesla that he intends to purchase from Tesla, and Tesla expects that it will issue and sell to Elon, $20 million of Tesla's common stock during the next open trading window at the then-current market price," the filing read.

Tesla shares fell 1 percent Wednesday morning following the filing. Musk is the largest shareholder in Tesla, holding more than $9 billion worth of the stock or more than 33 million shares before Wednesday's announcement. The CEO bought $24 million worth of Tesla in June and $9.9 million in May, according to InsiderScore.com.

Tesla shares are down 10 percent in 2018.

The 8-K filing also detailed Tesla and Musk's settlement with the SEC. A judge approved the settlement with the SEC on Tuesday over allegations that Musk committed fraud when he tweeted earlier in the year that he had secured necessary funding to take the automaker private.

Richard Branson has some advice for Elon Musk
VIDEO1:3001:30
Richard Branson has some advice for Elon Musk

The deal, viewed as a positive development for embattled Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, requires Musk to pay a $20 million fine and step down as Tesla chairman for a period of at least three years. The company is also obligated to monitor the CEO's statements to the public concerning the company on Twitter, blog posts or any other medium.

The company will also appoint two additional independent directors to the board within 90 days of the filing of the settlement documents.

Musk tweeted in August that he was debating taking Tesla private, telling his followers on Twitter, "Funding secured." The tweet sparked a scandal for Tesla and sent shares through a bout of volatility for weeks.

@elonmusk: Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.

Following the ensuring firestorm, Musk later said conversations with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund left him confident funding was assured at his proposed price of $420 per share. The SEC sued Musk on Sept. 27 for securities fraud.