Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $15.53, but opened at $16.56. Rivian Automotive shares last traded at $16.1820, with a volume of 25,224,452 shares.

Rivian Automotive News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Uber agreed to invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian and to purchase/deploy thousands of R2-based robotaxis (initial target: 10,000 vehicles, expanding to as many as 50,000 through 2031), validating Rivian’s autonomy/product roadmap and creating a multi-year revenue pipeline. Uber to invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian as part of robotaxi deal — Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Uber/Rivian partnership includes initial city deployments (San Francisco, Miami) beginning in 2028 and up to 10,000 robotaxis in the first phase — a clear commercialization path for the R2 and potential recurring fleet orders/services. Uber and Rivian Partner to Deploy up to 50,000 Fully Autonomous Robotaxis — Business Wire
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum around the R2 midsize SUV rollout and other product updates has lifted sentiment; coverage highlights the R2 launch as a near-term growth catalyst that could boost volumes and margins if production ramps smoothly. Rivian Jumps 8%: The R2 SUV Is Here — 247wallst
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has turned more constructive ahead of the R2 launch (TD Cowen upgraded Rivian to Buy and raised its price target), which supports upward revision risk to estimates and investor confidence. Why TD Cowen Turned Bullish on Rivian — Yahoo Finance
• Neutral Sentiment: Rivian is receiving heavy retail/investor attention and search interest, which can amplify price moves but also increase volatility. Investors Heavily Search Rivian — Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad market/sector headlines (other EV/autonomy news and regulatory items) may sway short-term trading in RIVN alongside company-specific announcements. Stocks to Watch Today — Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Rivian still faces fundamental headwinds: recent quarterly revenue was down year-over-year, the company remains unprofitable with negative margins and analysts model negative EPS for the current year — meaning the stock’s upside depends on execution against production, margin improvement and capital needs.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on RIVN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $16.00 to $23.00 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Rivian Automotive from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird raised Rivian Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $14.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Rivian Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and seven have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rivian Automotive has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Rivian Automotive Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.19 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $15.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.82.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.70) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total value of $455,834.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 680,836 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at this link. Also, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 34,900 shares of Rivian Automotive 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 directly owned 1,044,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,551,480.80. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 131,833 shares of company stock worth $2,298,729. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rivian Automotive

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,597,310 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 20,769,844 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $409,374,000 after purchasing an additional 2,418,717 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Rivian Automotive by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 16,397,496 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $323,195,000 after purchasing an additional 4,012,386 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Rivian Automotive by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,782,865 shares of the electric vehicle automaker’s stock valued at $290,568,000 after purchasing an additional 59,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Rivian Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $220,323,000. 66.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.