Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Down 1.5% – Here’s Why

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) was down 1.5% on Friday . The company traded as low as $18.90 and last traded at $19.41. Approximately 41,481,693 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 44,863,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.71.

Trending Headlines about Rivian Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Autonomy & AI progress wins investor notice — Rivian unveiled custom AI chips and an autonomy strategy at its Autonomy & AI Day; Needham raised its price target to $23 (from $14) and kept a Buy rating, which supports upside expectations for margins and tech differentiation. InsiderMonkey: Needham Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 deliveries met Rivian’s guidance — the company reported Q4 production of 10,974 vehicles and deliveries of 9,745, which helped lift sentiment when results were announced because they aligned with management expectations. Yahoo: Q4 Deliveries Meet Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Official production/delivery release — Rivian confirmed Q4 and full‑year 2025 totals (FY produced 42,284; delivered 42,247) and set a date for earnings. Figures were in line with the company’s guidance, leaving fundamentals unchanged until the earnings report. Business Wire: Production & Delivery Release
• Negative Sentiment: Full‑year deliveries slightly below some Street expectations — Reuters notes 2025 deliveries slipped a bit more than analysts expected, underscoring weaker demand for higher‑priced EVs as Rivian prepares a lower‑cost model for early 2026. That pressured sentiment. Reuters: Deliveries Slip Below Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Year‑over‑year delivery decline — coverage highlights that 2025 deliveries were lower than in 2023 and 2024, a red flag for demand momentum until the lower-cost model ramps. MSN: Fewer Deliveries Than Prior Years
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — reports show the CEO sold roughly $374k of stock late in the period; media flagged the sales and linked them to short‑term share weakness. American Banking News: CEO Selling

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on RIVN. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $14.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Rivian Automotive from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rivian Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.73.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $16.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.78 billion, a PE ratio of -6.24 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.71.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.65) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.71) by $0.06. Rivian Automotive had a negative net margin of 61.34% and a negative return on equity of 57.33%. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($1.08) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 78.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rivian Automotive news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 52,350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.60, for a total transaction of $869,010.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,246,405 shares in the company, valued at $20,690,323. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 21,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.14, for a total value of $363,539.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 738,056 shares in the company, valued at $12,650,279.84. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 137,604 shares of company stock valued at $2,391,863 in the last three months. 2.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rivian Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RIVN. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Rivian Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $105,629,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 81,673,512 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $1,198,967,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597,310 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 13.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,351,127 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $269,395,000 after purchasing an additional 2,161,394 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 496.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,305,236 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $31,490,000 after buying an additional 1,918,852 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 1,353.6% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,058,284 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $28,281,000 after buying an additional 1,916,686 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.25% of the company’s stock.

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.