Rivian Stock Skids Monday: What Investors Need To Know

Benzinga · 2d ago

Rivian Automotive Inc (NASDAQ:RIVN) shares are trading lower Monday morning after Morgan Stanley downgraded the electric vehicle maker to Underweight from Equal Weight, assigning a new price target of $12. The revision implies a potential downside of around 25% from recent trading levels.

What To Know: Analyst Andrew Percoco cited “outsized risk” heading into 2026, warning that the launch of Rivian’s lower-priced R2 model faces a “challenging EV market.” Key concerns include slowing consumer adoption, the loss of the $7,500 federal tax credit and persistent anxieties regarding range and charging infrastructure.

Financially, the firm remains bearish on Rivian's capital efficiency, forecasting $4.2 billion of free cash flow burn in 2026 and noting the risk of the R2 cannibalizing demand for the flagship R1 lineup.

The downgrade compounds a difficult news cycle for the automaker. Regulators recently announced a recall of nearly 35,000 vehicles due to a potential seatbelt failure in certain delivery van models.

Additionally, investor sentiment has been tested by filings revealing CEO RJ Scaringe sold over $1.13 million in company stock throughout November.

Investors are now looking to the upcoming AI Day on Dec. 11 as a potential stabilizer. The event is expected to offer clarity on Rivian's autonomous driving capabilities and the timeline for its crucial capital partnership with Volkswagen.

Benzinga Edge Rankings: Despite these fundamental headwinds, Benzinga Edge data highlights a strong Momentum score of 82.71, with short, medium and long-term price trends currently remaining positive.

RIVN Price Action: Rivian Automotive shares were down 3.73% at $17.28 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Currently, Rivian is trading approximately 1.9% below its 50-day moving average and about 10.5% below its 200-day moving average. This positioning suggests that the stock is facing downward pressure, as it remains below both key moving averages, which are often viewed as indicators of medium to long-term trends.

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