Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

RIVN has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Rivian Automotive from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Rivian Automotive in a research report on Monday, September 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Rivian Automotive from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.50.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:RIVN opened at $12.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $14.53 and a 200 day moving average of $15.50. The company has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.40 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Rivian Automotive has a 52 week low of $11.38 and a 52 week high of $22.69.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.64) by $0.16. Rivian Automotive had a negative return on equity of 69.68% and a negative net margin of 45.88%. The business had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.08) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 38.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Rivian Automotive will post -2.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rivian Automotive

In other Rivian Automotive news, CFO Claire McDonough sold 13,144 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.50, for a total transaction of $190,588.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 827,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,994,414.50. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Michael John Callahan sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,001,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,026,640. The trade was a 1.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 51,167 shares of company stock worth $788,306 over the last 90 days. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in Rivian Automotive by 6.6% in the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 26,139 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 1,625 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 31.9% during the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 61,004 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $913,000 after acquiring an additional 14,737 shares during the last quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rivian Automotive during the third quarter worth about $811,000. Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,646 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 4,160 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in Rivian Automotive by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,970,637 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $29,441,000 after purchasing an additional 356,540 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.25% of the company’s stock.

More Rivian Automotive News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rivian reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $2.15 billion, up 38.3% year over year and ahead of the roughly $2 billion analyst estimate. Its adjusted loss of $0.48 per share was narrower than the expected $0.64–$0.65 loss, supported by higher deliveries, software revenue and improved gross profit. Rivian third-quarter earnings beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year outlook for vehicle deliveries, adjusted pre-tax earnings and capital expenditures. The R2 SUV became Rivian’s best-selling vehicle in the quarter, strengthening the investment case for its planned higher-volume, more affordable model. Rivian raises full-year guidance on Q3 revenue beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment included a Jefferies upgrade from Hold to Buy with a $17 target, while Piper Sandler maintained an Overweight rating and $20 target, arguing that the prior selloff had gone too far. Options activity was also bullish-leaning, with call volume 39% above typical levels. Piper Sandler’s $20 Target Says Rivian’s Selloff Went Too Far
• Neutral Sentiment: Rivian expanded its $5.8 billion Volkswagen joint venture to include an AI assistant and separately acquired Third Dimension AI to support driver-assistance technology. These initiatives could improve future software and autonomy revenue, although the near-term financial benefit remains unclear. Rivian expands joint venture with VW to include AI assistant
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts were not uniformly bullish: Cantor Fitzgerald cut its target from $19 to $16 and retained a Neutral rating, while Needham reduced its target from $23 to $18 despite keeping a Buy rating. Rivian also remains deeply unprofitable, with heavy cash burn and negative margins, leaving execution of the R2 ramp critical.

About Rivian Automotive

Rivian Automotive, Inc is an electric vehicle manufacturer that designs, develops and produces all-electric trucks, sport utility vehicles and commercial delivery vans. The company focuses on vehicles intended for outdoor recreation, everyday transportation and fleet use, combining battery-electric powertrains with software and connected-vehicle technologies.

Rivian’s consumer vehicle lineup includes the R1T pickup truck and R1S sport utility vehicle. The company also develops electric commercial vans for business and delivery fleets, including vehicles produced through its relationship with Amazon.