Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Down 3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) fell 3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $15.55 and last traded at $15.62. 20,175,593 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 31,386,908 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.10.

Rivian Automotive News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade lifted the stock earlier this week (reported ~5.8% increase), providing near‑term momentum and signaling renewed institutional interest. Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Stock Price Up 5.8% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Rivian is referenced as part of a large Uber-related opportunity (a reported $1.25B partnership mention in coverage of EV competitors), which supports revenue and delivery upside if commercial deployments scale. Are Any of These Tesla Competitors Buys in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Feature pieces putting forward bullish cases (e.g., “3 Reasons to Buy Rivian”) highlight potential turnaround levers — improving margins, cost cuts, and product pipeline — that could underpin longer‑term upside if execution improves. 3 Reasons to Buy Rivian Stock Before It’s Too Late
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/volatility coverage notes mixed performance: short‑term volatility (3‑month decline) versus multi‑year gains — framing RIVN as a high‑volatility, long‑horizon trade rather than a clear short‑term buy. A Look At Rivian Automotive (RIVN) Valuation After Recent Share Price Volatility
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry recognition (Fast Company list noting Rivian among EV innovators) offers branding/PR benefits but is unlikely to move near‑term financials materially. LiCAP Technologies Named No. 7 Most Innovative Company in Automotive on Fast Company’s 2026 List
• Negative Sentiment: Reports flag a “large increase” in March short interest, which would typically add downside pressure; however, public short‑interest figures in these reports appear anomalous/zeroed (0 shares, NaN), creating uncertainty — if short interest is truly rising it could amplify volatility and selling.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on RIVN. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Rivian Automotive from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group upgraded Rivian Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $15.00 to $16.00 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $14.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.05.

Rivian Automotive Trading Down 3.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $15.57 and its 200 day moving average is $15.88. The stock has a market cap of $19.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.09 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.70) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Rivian Automotive

In other Rivian Automotive news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 34,900 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total transaction of $455,834.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 680,836 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,044.80. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 131,833 shares of company stock worth $2,196,995. Corporate insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RIVN. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Rivian Automotive by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 55,391 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 3,119 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Rivian Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 41.6% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 94,501 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after buying an additional 27,785 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 2,212.8% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 62,168 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $1,225,000 after buying an additional 59,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 8,210.2% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 10,554 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 10,427 shares during the last quarter. 66.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.