Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Up 4.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN)’s stock price traded up 4.2% on Tuesday after TD Cowen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. TD Cowen now has a $20.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $17.00. Rivian Automotive traded as high as $17.56 and last traded at $16.54. 50,966,807 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 64% from the average session volume of 30,988,135 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.87.

Several other analysts have also commented on RIVN. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Rivian Automotive from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Tigress Financial raised 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. DA Davidson downgraded Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $15.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Rivian Automotive from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and seven have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Insider Transactions at Rivian Automotive

In related news, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total value of $455,834.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 680,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,438,044.80. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Peter Krawiec sold 3,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.45, for a total value of $71,089.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 29,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,422.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 135,488 shares of company stock worth $2,369,819. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Rivian Automotive News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded RIVN from Hold to Buy and raised its price target to $20, citing the R2 launch as a near-term growth catalyst and pointing to recent per-vehicle cost improvements that boost margin outlook. The upgrade triggered more buying interest and helped push the stock above key moving averages. Rivian’s stock is a buy ahead of a major EV launch, analyst says
• Positive Sentiment: R2 deliveries are expected to begin in April, moving Rivian into the mass-market compact SUV segment. Analysts and showroom reports emphasize that R2 volume and lower price points could materially expand addressable market and revenue potential if demand and ramp execution hold. Rivian’s Future Rides on April’s R2 Launch
• Positive Sentiment: Broker and independent write-ups highlight Rivian’s tech and margin levers — including in‑house RAP1 chip and autonomy stack — plus reported $7,200 per-vehicle cost reductions, which together support a longer-term path to improved margins and potential licensing upside. Rivian: R2 Launch And Technology Advances Create A Long-Term Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector drivers: higher U.S. gasoline prices and elevated oil have been cited by some investors as reinforcing EV demand narratives—an incremental tailwind for Rivian’s addressable market but not a company‑specific earnings driver. California Gas Prices Surge, Ross Gerber Says It’s ‘Time To Buy an EV’
• Negative Sentiment: Execution risk: multiple pieces note the R2 launch is a binary event — a smooth ramp could re-rate the stock, but production/delivery hiccups or slower-than-expected conversions from reservations would hurt sentiment and near-term cash flow. Investors remain focused on delivery cadence and quality as the key risk. Rivian R2 SUV Tests Mass Market Ambitions And Path To Profitability

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RIVN. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,849,818 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $80,376,000 after buying an additional 799,030 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Rivian Automotive in the second quarter valued at $1,324,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Rivian Automotive by 227.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 117,096 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 81,291 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in Rivian Automotive by 244.1% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,624,707 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $23,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,152,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tableaux LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rivian Automotive during the second quarter worth about $3,435,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.25% of the company’s stock.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.72. 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 company has a market cap of $20.53 billion, a PE ratio of -5.39 and a beta of 1.74.

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

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.