Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $15.53, but opened at $16.56. Rivian Automotive shares last traded at $16.1820, with a volume of 25,224,452 shares trading hands.

Rivian Automotive News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Uber agreed to invest up to $1.25 billion and commit to buying thousands of R2 robotaxis (initial phase: 10,000 with options for many more), giving Rivian a material commercial partner and potential multi‑year revenue pipeline tied to autonomy. BusinessWire: Uber and Rivian Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Uber is deploying initial funding (reported ~$300M up front) and the deal ties additional payments and vehicle purchase options to autonomy milestones — a de‑risked funding path for Rivian’s costly self‑drive buildout. Yahoo Finance: Uber Invests $300M
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are leaning more bullish on Rivian’s pivot to the lower‑priced R2 and autonomy strategy; a few firms raised price targets or reiterated buys, supporting upside expectations into the R2 rollout. Seeking Alpha: Analysts on Uber Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Immediate market reaction: the stock initially spiked on the Uber deal but has seen rapid profit‑taking and choppy intraday trading as investors parse timing, milestones and execution risk. Invezz: Volatility After Uber Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Rivian disclosed it’s spending heavily on autonomy and has pushed out its expected 2027 profitability goal, which raises near‑term cash‑burn and execution risk — a clear negative for short‑term earnings visibility. TechCrunch: Profit Goal Sacrificed
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO RJ (Robert) Scaringe sold ~17,450 shares last week (filed with the SEC); while small relative to his stake, it can amplify short‑term downside or momentum selling. SEC Form 4: Scaringe Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure — geopolitical tensions and rising oil prices have pushed inflation and growth concerns into headlines today, prompting risk‑off flows that weighed on EV and growth names including RIVN. Yahoo Finance: Geopolitical Headwinds

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on RIVN. Robert W. Baird raised Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Rivian Automotive from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $16.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rivian Automotive presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.05.

Rivian Automotive Stock Down 7.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.86 and a beta of 1.75.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.54) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.14. Rivian Automotive had a negative return on equity of 65.05% and a negative net margin of 67.68%.The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.70) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 34,900 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,044,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,551,480.80. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total transaction of $455,834.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 680,836 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,044.80. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 149,283 shares of company stock valued at $2,570,949 over the last three months. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,685 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 3,864 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Rivian Automotive by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 386,384 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $4,733,000 after buying an additional 5,590 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 54,560 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $679,000 after acquiring an additional 4,998 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 64,534 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $803,000 after acquiring an additional 14,497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 57.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,107 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,856 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.