Tesla shares skyrocketed today (31) after a stock split, which raised Elon Musk’s net worth to $102.8 billion. The stock rose 10.3% and the billionaire’s net earnings for the day totaled $10.4 billion. According to Forbes’ real-time ranking, Musk is now the world’s fifth centbillionaire, as well as the fifth richest person on the planet.
The Tesla and SpaceX owner’s net worth has quadrupled since mid-March, when he ranked 31st on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s billionaires, with $24.6 billion. Musk now ranks right behind Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who is worth $108.4 billion.
Not that it matters to the controversial serial entrepreneur. At 49, Musk has already said he is indifferent to his position on the Forbes list of billionaires. “I really don’t care,” commented the billionaire in an email sent to the publication’s New York office in July. “These numbers wax and wane, but what really matters is making great products that people love.” Musk’s fortune reached the mark of US$ 99 billion last Thursday (27), and fell the following day (28), when Tesla’s shares showed a 3.6% decline.
The electric vehicle maker’s shares were split on a 5-to-1 basis on Friday, after the market closed, and began trading on an adjusted basis this morning. Smaller investors would have snapped up the lower-priced shares, which are now priced at $488.28 versus $2,213.40 on Friday.
Musk owns 21% of the $454 billion (market cap) company, yet more than half of his stake is pledged as collateral for personal loans. Forbes applies a discount based on committed securities to account for loans.