DA Davidson Downgrades Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) to Underperform

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) was downgraded by DA Davidson from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $14.00 target price on the electric vehicle automaker’s stock, down from their previous target price of $15.00. DA Davidson’s price target indicates a potential downside of 13.31% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on RIVN. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Benchmark raised their target price on Rivian Automotive from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rivian Automotive from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rivian Automotive has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.71.

Rivian Automotive Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ RIVN opened at $16.15 on Tuesday. Rivian Automotive has a 1 year low of $10.36 and a 1 year high of $22.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $17.61 and its 200-day moving average is $15.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.80 billion, a PE ratio of -5.26 and a beta of 1.76.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Rivian Automotive had a negative net margin of 67.68% and a negative return on equity of 65.05%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.70) earnings per share. Rivian Automotive’s revenue was down 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Rivian Automotive will post -3.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Rivian Automotive

In other Rivian Automotive news, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total transaction of $455,834.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RIVN. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rivian Automotive by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 81,673,512 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $1,198,967,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597,310 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in Rivian Automotive by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 20,769,844 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $409,374,000 after buying an additional 2,418,717 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Rivian Automotive by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 16,397,496 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $323,195,000 after acquiring an additional 4,012,386 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Rivian Automotive by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,782,865 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock worth $290,568,000 after acquiring an additional 59,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Rivian Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,323,000. 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: Q4 results and 2026 guidance point to an inflection — Rivian reported its first full year of positive gross profit, beat Q4 revenue/eps expectations, and gave 2026 vehicle delivery guidance implying ~50%+ YoY growth; markets initially rewarded the print. Rivian Automotive (RIVN) Is Up 11.6% After First Full Year of Positive Gross Profit
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Stifel raised its price target to $20 (buy) and other firms including Deutsche Bank have increased targets/ratings, supporting upside narrative if R2 demand materializes. Stifel target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term thesis highlighted by some analysts: commentary notes narrowing losses, stronger Software & Services mix, and a mass-market R2 that could drive multi-year delivery growth; these are contingent on execution. Rivian mass-market model analysis
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson downgrade/analyst caution: DA Davidson moved to underperform ($14 PT), citing worry that Rivian’s guidance assumes an unusually strong R2 debut — this raises short-term downside if the R2 ramp disappoints. DA Davidson downgrades Rivian Automotive (RIVN)
• Negative Sentiment: R2 execution risk is front-and-center — multiple notes and headlines say elevated uncertainty around R2 demand and manufacturing ramp could reverse recent gains if deliveries miss. R2 launch risks weigh on stock
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by top executives: CEO Robert Scaringe sold 34,900 shares and CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares at ~$16.80 each on Feb 18; both reduced ownership by ~3–4% though they retain large stakes — raises governance/near-term sentiment concerns. CEO Form 4 CFO Form 4

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.