Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $14.00, but opened at $17.77. Rivian Automotive shares last traded at $16.8010, with a volume of 37,472,023 shares traded.

The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 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%.Rivian Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.70) earnings per share.

Rivian Automotive News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rivian beat expectations on adjusted EPS and revenue and reported its first annual gross profit, driven by software and services growth — key justification for the rally. Rivian (RIVN) Q4 and full 2025 earnings report: Tremendous YoY growth led by software
• Positive Sentiment: Management guided to a sharp delivery increase for 2026 (62k–67k units; ~50%+ growth) driven by rollout of the more affordable R2 SUV — this growth trajectory is the main catalyst cited by bulls. Rivian sees 2026 delivery jump driven by rollout of smaller, more affordable R2 SUVs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: Deutsche Bank upgraded Rivian to Buy with a $23 target and other outlets highlighted a meaningful post-earnings valuation uplift — supporting further upside if execution continues. Deutsche Bank upgrade / Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and the earnings call expanded on the R2 rollout timing (deliveries to start in Q2) and long-term roadmap, helpful for modeling but accompanied by ongoing capex plans. Rivian Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Automotive revenue fell sharply (automotive revenue down ~45% YoY in Q4) and the company still reported a sizable net loss and negative margins — reminders that profitability remains fragile even as software improves. Rivian Automotive Widens Loss as Automotive Revenue Slides
• Negative Sentiment: Legal settlement headlines and commentary about cash burn raise concerns about near-term liquidity and margin pressure despite revenue mix improvement. Rivian Lawsuit Settlement Tests Balance Between Legal Clarity And Cash Burn
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets warned the rally may be overdone given the still-large losses, heavy 2026 capex guidance and macro headwinds that could mute risk appetite. Rivian Stock Disaster Continues

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RIVN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Rivian Automotive from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Rivian Automotive from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Monday, December 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rivian Automotive

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 stock was sold at an average price of $16.03, for a total value of $279,723.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,115,209 shares in the company, valued at $17,876,800.27. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Peter Krawiec sold 3,655 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.45, for a total value of $71,089.75. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,422.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 120,154 shares of company stock worth $2,143,724. Insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rivian Automotive

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,685 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 3,864 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 5,590 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake 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 worth $679,000 after purchasing an additional 4,998 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 57.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,107 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares during the period. 66.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.28. The firm has a market cap of $20.73 billion, a PE ratio of -5.44 and a beta of 1.76. 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 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.