Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Price Target Cut to $18.00 by Analysts at Needham & Company LLC

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) had its price target reduced by Needham & Company LLC from $23.00 to $18.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the electric vehicle automaker’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Piper Sandler raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rivian Automotive currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.50.

Rivian Automotive Trading Up 6.2%

NASDAQ RIVN opened at $12.16 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.50. Rivian Automotive has a 52 week low of $11.38 and a 52 week high of $22.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $17.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.40 and a beta of 1.62.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.64) by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Rivian Automotive had a negative net margin of 45.88% and a negative return on equity of 73.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 38.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.08) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Rivian Automotive will post -2.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Rivian Automotive

In related news, insider Michael John Callahan sold 15,000 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,001,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,026,640. The trade was a 1.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Claire McDonough sold 13,144 shares of Rivian Automotive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.50, for a total transaction of $190,588.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 827,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,994,414.50. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,167 shares of company stock valued at $788,306. Company insiders own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 61,004 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $913,000 after purchasing an additional 14,737 shares during the last quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rivian Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at about $811,000. Traynor Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,646 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 4,160 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 22.1% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,970,637 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $29,441,000 after purchasing an additional 356,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Rivian Automotive during the third quarter worth about $327,000. 66.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Rivian Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rivian reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $2.15 billion, up 38.3% year over year and ahead of the roughly $2 billion analyst estimate. Its adjusted loss of $0.48 per share was narrower than the expected $0.64–$0.65 loss, supported by higher deliveries, software revenue and improved gross profit. Rivian third-quarter earnings beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year outlook for vehicle deliveries, adjusted pre-tax earnings and capital expenditures. The R2 SUV became Rivian’s best-selling vehicle in the quarter, strengthening the investment case for its planned higher-volume, more affordable model. Rivian raises full-year guidance on Q3 revenue beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment included a Jefferies upgrade from Hold to Buy with a $17 target, while Piper Sandler maintained an Overweight rating and $20 target, arguing that the prior selloff had gone too far. Options activity was also bullish-leaning, with call volume 39% above typical levels. Piper Sandler’s $20 Target Says Rivian’s Selloff Went Too Far
• Neutral Sentiment: Rivian expanded its $5.8 billion Volkswagen joint venture to include an AI assistant and separately acquired Third Dimension AI to support driver-assistance technology. These initiatives could improve future software and autonomy revenue, although the near-term financial benefit remains unclear. Rivian expands joint venture with VW to include AI assistant
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts were not uniformly bullish: Cantor Fitzgerald cut its target from $19 to $16 and retained a Neutral rating, while Needham reduced its target from $23 to $18 despite keeping a Buy rating. Rivian also remains deeply unprofitable, with heavy cash burn and negative margins, leaving execution of the R2 ramp critical.

Rivian Automotive Company Profile

Rivian Automotive, Inc is an electric vehicle manufacturer that designs, develops and produces all-electric trucks, sport utility vehicles and commercial delivery vans. The company focuses on vehicles intended for outdoor recreation, everyday transportation and fleet use, combining battery-electric powertrains with software and connected-vehicle technologies.

Rivian’s consumer vehicle lineup includes the R1T pickup truck and R1S sport utility vehicle. The company also develops electric commercial vans for business and delivery fleets, including vehicles produced through its relationship with Amazon.