Piper Sandler Lowers Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Price Target to $18.00

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) had its price objective dropped by Piper Sandler from $20.00 to $18.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the electric vehicle automaker’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 6.48% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Rivian Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Rivian Automotive from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Rivian Automotive from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Rivian Automotive from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective (down previously from $14.00) on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Monday, October 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.41.

Rivian Automotive Stock Up 20.7%

NASDAQ:RIVN traded up $2.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $16.90. 50,317,924 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 29,698,629. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.28. Rivian Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $10.36 and a fifty-two week high of $22.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $20.72 billion, a PE ratio of -5.45 and a beta of 1.76.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.68) by $0.02. Rivian Automotive had a negative return on equity of 57.33% and a negative net margin of 61.34%.The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.70) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rivian Automotive will post -3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 8,039 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 730,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,140,306. This trade represents a 1.09% 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, Director Peter Krawiec sold 3,655 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.45, for a total transaction of $71,089.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,422.90. This trade represents a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 120,154 shares of company stock worth $2,143,724 over the last three months. 2.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RIVN. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 43,282 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,127 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,764 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 739 shares during the period. Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,056 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in shares of Rivian Automotive by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 15,803 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.25% of the company’s stock.

Rivian Automotive News Roundup

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

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.