Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Stock Price

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) had its price target boosted by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $17.00 to $20.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the electric vehicle automaker’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price indicates a potential upside of 20.95% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on RIVN. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Rivian Automotive from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Rivian Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.71.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

NASDAQ RIVN traded down $1.19 on Tuesday, reaching $16.54. 29,759,573 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 32,356,508. Rivian Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $10.36 and a fifty-two week high of $22.69. 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 firm has a market cap of $20.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.38 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $17.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.37.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. Rivian Automotive had a negative net margin of 67.68% and a negative return on equity of 65.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.70) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Rivian Automotive will post -3.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 17,450 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.03, for a total transaction of $279,723.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,115,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,876,800.27. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 8,039 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $144,702.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 730,017 shares in the company, valued at $13,140,306. This trade represents a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 120,154 shares of company stock valued at $2,143,724. Company insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RIVN. 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 worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 3,864 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Rivian Automotive by 1.5% in the 1st 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 shares of 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 purchasing an additional 4,998 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 64,534 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $803,000 after buying an additional 14,497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares during the last quarter. 66.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Rivian Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and upbeat 2026 guidance — Rivian reported better-than-expected Q4 revenue, improved gross margins and issued 2026 delivery guidance that implies a sizable recovery driven by the R2 ramp; that print sparked one of the largest one-day gains in the stock’s history. Rivian Posts Biggest Gain Since IPO After Q4 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullish views and “inflection” thesis — Some analysts are calling Q4 the inflection point: management raised 2026 delivery targets (midpoint ~64.5k vehicles), Rivian posted its first full-year gross profit and software/services growth, and a few sell‑side firms reiterated buy ratings or raised targets. Rivian Q4: The Much-Awaited Inflection Is Finally Here
• Positive Sentiment: R2 launch on track and DB upgrade — Reports indicate the lower-cost R2 rollout remains on schedule (Q2 deliveries expected) and Deutsche Bank upgraded Rivian to Buy while raising its price target, supporting optimism about higher-volume production later in 2026. Rivian (RIVN) Gains Momentum as R2 Launch Stays on Track
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst price‑target moves — Broker reactions are mixed: several firms raised or reiterated targets/ratings while others trimmed targets (Piper Sandler cut its PT). The net effect is a cluster of divergent forecasts that keeps the stock rangebound and volatile. Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Price Target Raised to $15.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent large rally likely prompting profit-taking — The stock ran up sharply after the print (double-digit moves), making pullbacks more likely as traders lock in gains; that flow can amplify price moves independent of fundamentals. The Week in EV Stocks: Rivian Gains 19.8% While Tesla Lags Behind
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson downgrade and lower price target — DA Davidson cut Rivian to an “underperform” with a $14 target, a direct negative catalyst that increases near-term selling pressure. DA Davidson Downgrade Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Cash burn, liquidity and profitability risks remain — Analysts flag nearly $2.5B cash burn in 2025, lower net cash levels and continued negative adjusted EBITDA guidance for 2026 (plus ~$2B capex), meaning Rivian still needs flawless R2 execution to convert optimism into sustainable cash flow. Rivian Passes First Key Test

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.