Musk's gain from selling Tesla shares exceeds Twitter's loss

Elon Musk's decision to quit the $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) may put him in a better financial position than before he announced the deal, thanks to the selling of billions of dollars worth of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares.

After Musk renounced his agreement to acquire the social media platform on Friday, April 25, and Twitter pledged to compel him to finish the acquisition, legal experts expect the parties will engage in a long court battle that may cost Musk billions of dollars.

Regardless of the ruling, it appears that Elon Musk has around $8.5 billion in cash after selling Tesla shares in late April to fund the Twitter acquisition. During the final week of April, Musk sold 9.6 million Tesla shares at an average price of around $885 per share.

Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Guidehouse Insights, stated, "Since he sold so many Tesla shares at such a high price a year ago, he is almost certainly in a better financial position now than he was a year ago."

Depending on the outcome of the case surrounding this situation, he might find himself in a far worse position.

According to Abuelsamid, if Musk loses his legal battle against Twitter and is forced to complete the acquisition or pay a substantial fee, he may be forced to sell further Tesla shares, alarming investors and decreasing the value of his remaining Tesla stake.

On Monday, Tesla's stock price fell by 6.5%. After selling Tesla shares in April, Musk announced, "No more TSLA sales are planned."

Brian Quinn, a legal professor at Boston College School of Law, stated that he would not be surprised if Musk and Twitter agreed to compensate Twitter for more than $1 billion.

Quinn noted, "Musk would be penniless, but he would not be imprisoned as the company's owner."

At the time Musk sold his shares in April, Tesla investors fretted that Musk's acquisition of Twitter may become a diversion as Tesla faces intensifying economic and competitive challenges. Musk's decision to sell a substantial portion of his Tesla shares was rationalized by the acquisition of Twitter, although CEO stock sales often cause investors worry.

Musk cited upcoming option expirations and tax issues as the basis for selling about $16 billion worth of Tesla shares in December.

Inflation and potential recession worries have weighed severely on growth businesses since Tesla stock was sold in April, causing a 19% decline in the stock price. If Musk had not sold these Tesla shares, their current market value would be around $1.6 billion lower.

It is unknown how much income tax Musk may owe on his Tesla share sale gains.

Musk does not get a salary from Tesla; instead, he receives billions of dollars in stock options after hitting several stock and performance milestones over the course of prior years. He still holds around 16 percent of Tesla, which is worth approximately $115 billion.

Musk's investment in Twitter shares prior to announcing his takeover of the company has not performed as well. Between January and April, Musk purchased 73 million Twitter shares for a total of $2.64 billion, or around $36 per share. On Monday, Twitter's stock price fell 9.5% to $33.50. At this price, the value of his Twitter shares has plummeted by around $200 million.