Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Trading Up 26.6% Following Strong Earnings

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN)’s share price shot up 26.6% during trading on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $18.48 and last traded at $17.73. 127,282,190 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 292% from the average session volume of 32,503,723 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.00.

The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. Rivian Automotive had a negative return on equity of 61.67% and a negative net margin of 67.68%.Rivian Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.70) earnings per share.

Key Headlines 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RIVN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research cut shares of Rivian Automotive from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Rivian Automotive from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Rivian Automotive from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Friday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.62.

Insider Transactions at Rivian Automotive

In other Rivian Automotive news, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 8,039 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction 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 owned 730,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,140,306. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Peter Krawiec sold 3,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.45, for a total transaction of $71,089.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,422.90. This represents a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 120,154 shares of company stock valued at $2,143,724 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rivian Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RIVN. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 15.8% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,849,818 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $80,376,000 after purchasing an additional 799,030 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Rivian Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,324,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 227.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 117,096 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after buying an additional 81,291 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 244.1% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,624,707 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $23,851,000 after buying an additional 1,152,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tableaux LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rivian Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,435,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.25% of the company’s stock.

Rivian Automotive Trading Up 26.6%

The stock has a market cap of $21.74 billion, a PE ratio of -5.78 and a beta of 1.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $17.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.71.

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.