Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Rivian Automotive, Inc. $RIVN

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in Rivian by 0.3%, selling 264,234 shares and now holds 81,409,278 shares — a 6.64% position valued at about $1.60 billion.
• Rivian modestly beat Q1 EPS and revenue estimates, has begun R2 production and raised Georgia plant capacity to 300,000 units, but renegotiated its DOE loan down to $4.5 billion to access funds sooner, trading long‑term funding headroom for speed.
• Company insiders (including the CFO and CEO) have sold shares recently, Rivian remains unprofitable with large negative margins, and analysts are mixed with a consensus Hold and a $18.05 price target.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 81,409,278 shares of the electric vehicle automaker's stock after selling 264,234 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 6.64% of Rivian Automotive worth $1,604,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of RIVN. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Rivian Automotive by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,685 shares of the electric vehicle automaker's stock worth $235,000 after buying an additional 3,864 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Rivian Automotive by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 386,384 shares of the electric vehicle automaker's stock worth $4,733,000 after buying an additional 5,590 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Rivian Automotive by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 54,560 shares of the electric vehicle automaker's stock worth $679,000 after buying an additional 4,998 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Rivian Automotive by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 64,534 shares of the electric vehicle automaker's stock worth $803,000 after buying an additional 14,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Rivian Automotive by 57.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,107 shares of the electric vehicle automaker's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.25% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on RIVN. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Rivian Automotive from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Friday. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Rivian Automotive in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Rivian Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $23.00 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.05.

Rivian Automotive News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat modestly: Rivian reported an EPS loss narrower than expectations and revenue slightly above estimates, with revenue up ~11% year‑over‑year — a concrete near-term trigger for buying interest. Rivian Releases First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: R2 production ramp and product story: Management has begun R2 deliveries (employees first) and touted the model as a lower‑cost, higher‑volume opportunity — investors are pricing future growth and margin improvement from R2. Rivian (RIVN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Georgia plant capacity increased to 300k units (initial phase) — higher scale should lower per‑unit costs if demand materializes, supporting long‑term margin targets. Rivian Announces Optimized Capacity Plan for Georgia Plant
• Neutral Sentiment: DOE loan renegotiation trades size for speed: Rivian trimmed the DOE loan from the previously discussed ~$6.6B to $4.5B but can draw sooner and proceed with a larger initial capacity — this reduces long‑term funding headroom but accelerates near‑term access to funds. Rivian says US loan for Georgia plant set to be smaller but quicker
• Neutral Sentiment: Software and services are starting to show up in results — management highlighted software sales as a growing revenue stream, which could improve margins over time but will take execution. Rivian gets a boost from software sales
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and cash‑burn remain concerns: Rivian still posts large negative margins and negative ROE; analysts and the call emphasized managing cash burn and demand uncertainty, keeping execution risk high. Rivian's latest earnings may have been the 'low point'
• Negative Sentiment: Smaller DOE loan reduces total committed federal funding versus prior expectations, which could matter if capital needs rise or EV demand softens — investors will watch covenant terms and draw schedules. Rivian renegotiates DOE loan down to $4.5 billion

Insider Transactions at Rivian Automotive

In related news, CFO Claire Mcdonough sold 27,133 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 680,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,438,044.80. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert J. Scaringe sold 34,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.80, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,044,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,551,480.80. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,888 shares of company stock valued at $2,411,276. 2.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rivian Automotive Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:RIVN opened at $16.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Rivian Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.57 and a 12 month high of $22.69. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $15.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.18. The company has a market cap of $20.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.34 and a beta of 1.69.

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The electric vehicle automaker reported ($0.54) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.68) by $0.14. 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.70) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rivian Automotive, Inc. will post -3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Rivian Automotive 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.

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