Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Down 1.9% Following Analyst Downgrade

Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) shares were down 1.9% on Wednesday after DA Davidson downgraded the stock from a neutral rating to an underperform rating. DA Davidson now has a $14.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $15.00. Rivian Automotive traded as low as $16.07 and last traded at $16.15. Approximately 29,975,430 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 33,178,070 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.47.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on RIVN. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Rivian Automotive from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Peter Krawiec sold 3,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 $566,422.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 34,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,044,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,551,480.80. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 182,187 shares of company stock worth $3,185,878. 2.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Rivian Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong 2026 guidance — Rivian reported better-than-expected Q4 revenue and EPS and issued 2026 delivery guidance (62k–67k vehicles), pointing to ~50%+ year-over-year delivery growth and its first full year of positive gross profit; that results print drove recent upside. Can Services 2x Rivian Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness/upgrades — some firms (e.g., Stifel) boosted targets and flagged upside if R2 demand materializes, supporting a constructive analyst narrative that helped lift the stock earlier. Stifel bullishness
• Neutral Sentiment: Balanced analyst view and consensus — the street remains split (Buy/Hold/Sell mix and a MarketBeat consensus “Hold”), so upside is contingent on execution rather than a broad analyst stampede. MarketBeat analyst consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term thesis highlighted — pieces note narrowing losses, growing software & services mix and the upcoming lower‑cost R2 as the engine for multi-year growth, but these depend on successful ramp and margin improvement. Can Rivian Stock Beat the Market in 2026?
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson downgrade — DA Davidson cut Rivian to Underperform (low $14 PT), warning the 2026 guidance assumes an unusually strong R2 debut; this note raises near-term downside if the R2 ramp disappoints. DA Davidson downgrades Rivian
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by CEO & CFO — CEO Robert Scaringe and CFO Claire McDonough sold shares (~34.9k and ~27.1k shares) on Feb 18 at about $16.80; while both retain large stakes, the concurrent executive sales are weighing on sentiment. Insider trades alert
• Negative Sentiment: R2 execution and demand risk — multiple notes and coverage warn the biggest risk is an R2 ramp or demand miss; given the guidance relies heavily on R2, execution disappointment could quickly reverse gains. What’s going on with Rivian Automotive stock?

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 43,282 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $853,000 after buying an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,127 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,764 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 739 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems raised its position in shares of Rivian Automotive by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 128,500 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $2,533,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradition Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the period. 66.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $19.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.08 and a beta of 1.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.89.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.02. The firm 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 revenue was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.70) EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.2 EPS for the current year.

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.