Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Downgraded by Wolfe Research to Underperform

Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat reports.

RIVN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $10.00 target price (down previously from $14.00) on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and seven have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.95.

Rivian Automotive Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ RIVN opened at $19.15 on Monday. Rivian Automotive has a twelve month low of $10.36 and a twelve month high of $22.69. The firm has a market cap of $23.48 billion, a PE ratio of -6.16 and a beta of 1.77. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.71) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. Rivian Automotive had a negative return on equity of 57.33% and a negative net margin of 61.34%.The business’s revenue was up 78.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.08) EPS. Analysts expect that Rivian Automotive will post -3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 17,450 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $341,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,132,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,143,483.45. The trade was a 1.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 8,039 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $144,702.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 730,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,140,306. This trade represents a 1.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 155,054 shares of company stock valued at $2,733,010. 2.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Rivian Automotive by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,685 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 3,864 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 1.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 386,384 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $4,733,000 after purchasing an additional 5,590 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Rivian Automotive by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 54,560 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $679,000 after purchasing an additional 4,998 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 64,534 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $803,000 after purchasing an additional 14,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Rivian Automotive by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 19,225 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares during the last quarter. 66.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Rivian Automotive

Here are the key news stories impacting Rivian Automotive this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rivian named Greg Revelle as Chief Customer Officer, a senior hire with retail and service experience that could help improve ownership experience and retention over time. Rivian Hires Greg Revelle as Chief Customer Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data published for January looks anomalous (shows 0 shares and 0 days-to-cover), suggesting the report is unreliable and should not be treated as evidence of a squeeze or large new short positions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and momentum stories (e.g., “Why Is Rivian Stock Trending Today?”) note intraday interest but don’t add a new catalyst beyond the recall, downgrade and insider activity. Why Is Rivian Stock Trending Today?
• Negative Sentiment: Rivian is recalling nearly 20,000 R1 vehicles after an outdated service procedure may have caused rear toe-link problems — a meaningful quality/recall cost and reputation risk. Did an Outdated Procedure Cause Rivian’s 20K R1 Vehicle Recall?
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded Rivian to “underperform,” which tends to put pressure on sentiment and can prompt selling from funds tracking analyst guidance. Wolfe Research Downgrades Rivian
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of insider selling have been highlighted by the press, which can amplify downside pressure if investors view it as management trimming exposure. Rivian Stock Price Down on Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion pieces urging selling (e.g., “20,000 reasons to consider selling Rivian stock”) amplify negative sentiment and can accelerate short-term outflows. 20,000 reasons to consider selling Rivian stock here

Rivian Automotive Company Profile

Rivian Automotive, Inc is an American automotive technology company specializing in the design, development and manufacture of electric vehicles. The company is best known for its all-electric R1 platform, which underpins the R1T pickup truck and R1S sport utility vehicle. In addition to consumer products, Rivian has secured a significant commercial contract to produce electric delivery vans for a leading e-commerce provider, underscoring its capability to serve both retail and fleet customers.

Founded in 2009 by engineer and entrepreneur Robert “RJ” Scaringe, Rivian has grown from a research-focused startup into a publicly traded corporation.