Piper Sandler Has Lowered Expectations for Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Stock Price

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) had its target price reduced by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $20.00 to $18.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the electric vehicle automaker’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price points to a potential upside of 1.52% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research cut shares of Rivian Automotive from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rivian Automotive from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Rivian Automotive from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Zacks Research upgraded Rivian Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Rivian Automotive from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.62.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ RIVN opened at $17.73 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.78 and a beta of 1.76. Rivian Automotive has a one year low of $10.36 and a one year high of $22.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.32. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.02. Rivian Automotive had a negative net margin of 67.68% and a negative return on equity of 61.67%. The firm had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.70) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Rivian Automotive will post -3.2 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 17,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.03, for a total transaction of $279,723.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,115,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,876,800.27. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 8,039 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $144,702.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 730,017 shares in the company, valued at $13,140,306. This trade represents a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 120,154 shares of company stock valued at $2,143,724 in the last 90 days. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FORA Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 188.9% during the fourth quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 241,897 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $4,768,000 after acquiring an additional 158,172 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 76,523 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $1,508,000 after purchasing an additional 6,924 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Rivian Automotive by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 497,258 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $9,801,000 after purchasing an additional 218,020 shares during the period. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Rivian Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $197,000. Finally, Barrier Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rivian Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,566,000. 66.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Rivian Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rivian delivered a Q4 surprise: revenue and adjusted loss beat consensus and management issued a strong 2026 delivery outlook, triggering the rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management now expects a large jump in 2026 deliveries (guidance ~62k–67k units / ~53% growth year‑over‑year), driven by rollout of the more affordable R2 SUV — investors view this as a clear growth path. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broker activity has turned constructive: notable upgrades/target increases (Deutsche Bank upgrade to Buy with $23 PT; Wedbush reiteration at $25) helped fuel buying interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarter details: adjusted loss per share (~$0.54–$0.66 depending on source) beat estimates and revenue was roughly $1.28–1.29B; software/services showed meaningful YoY growth and management highlighted product & software initiatives. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: R2 progress: early reviews and management commentary point to R2 deliveries beginning in Q2 and strong demand potential, but it’s still early in the ramp. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying profitability and revenue mix remain weak: automotive revenue fell sharply (reported ~45% decline in Q4 auto revenue), the company still posts negative net margins and negative ROE. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Cash burn and capex: Rivian flagged continued losses as it ramps production and may spend >$2.1B on capex for expansion; a recent settlement also pressures near‑term cash. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Operational risks remain: some metrics (vehicle margins, free cash flow) showed weakness even with the beat — the company still expects losses as it scales, leaving execution risk on the table. Article Title

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.