Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Down 1.6% on Analyst Downgrade

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) shares traded down 1.6% on Tuesday after Wolfe Research downgraded the stock from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating. The company traded as low as $18.65 and last traded at $18.85. 24,616,816 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 34,076,070 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.15.

RIVN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho restated an “underperform” rating and set a $10.00 target price (down previously from $14.00) on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on Rivian Automotive from $16.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research raised Rivian Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Cfra Research upgraded Rivian Automotive to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and seven have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.95.

Insider Transactions at Rivian Automotive

In related news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 17,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total value of $341,147.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,132,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,143,483.45. The trade was a 1.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Peter Krawiec sold 3,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.45, for a total value of $71,089.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,122 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $566,422.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 155,054 shares of company stock valued at $2,733,010. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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 hire with retail and service experience that signals a push to improve customer operations and retention. Rivian Hires Greg Revelle as Chief Customer Officer
• Positive Sentiment: CEO RJ Scaringe was announced as a keynote speaker at ACT Expo 2026, boosting Rivian’s profile with fleet and commercial buyers — important for its RCV/commercial growth strategy. Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe and Mack Trucks President Stephen Roy Announced as Keynote Speakers for ACT Expo 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and price-forecast pieces are circulating (e.g., 247WallStreet). These recap recent short-term weakness but offer long-term forecasts that may not move near-term trading decisively. Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) Price Prediction and Forecast 2026-2030 for January 13
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary noting broader EV market share shifts — an article highlights how non-Tesla models (e.g., Chevy Equinox EV) are taking share; this is background competitive context for Rivian but not company-specific news. America’s New Favorite EV Isn’t Tesla—and the Stock May Surprise (RIVN)
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data appears anomalous (shows 0 shares and 0 days-to-cover), likely a data or reporting issue — not a reliable signal on investor positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Rivian is recalling nearly 20,000 R1 vehicles due to a potentially outdated service procedure causing rear toe-link issues — this recall raises near-term warranty, service costs and reputational risk. Did an Outdated Procedure Cause Rivian’s 20K R1 Vehicle Recall?
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage urging caution (e.g., “20,000 reasons to consider selling Rivian stock here”) highlights investor concern over the recall and operational execution. 20,000 reasons to consider selling Rivian stock here
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst action: Wolfe Research downgraded Rivian to “underperform,” adding downward pressure by signaling reduced near-term earnings/market-share expectations. Wolfe Research Downgrades Rivian Automotive Inc (RIVN) to Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-up analysis (Yahoo Finance) ties the new CCO hire, production updates and recall into investor action items, but emphasizes the recall’s significance for near-term fundamentals. Should Rivian’s New Customer Chief, Production Update and Recall Require Action From Rivian (RIVN) Investors?

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RIVN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,864 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 5,590 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Rivian Automotive by 10.1% during the first 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 period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 9.0% in 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.25% of the company’s stock.

Rivian Automotive Trading Down 1.6%

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $17.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.98. The stock has a market cap of $23.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.06 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last issued 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. Rivian Automotive had a negative return on equity of 57.33% and a negative net margin of 61.34%.The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned ($1.08) earnings per share. Rivian Automotive’s revenue was up 78.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Rivian Automotive

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.