Rivian Fires Back: is RIVN Stock a Buy Again?
It’s been a rollercoaster of a month for shareholders of Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN). Wait, let me rephrase that: it’s been a rollercoaster ever since the company went public in November 2021. Recently, it’s been less of a rollercoaster and more of just feeling sick. After its most recent earnings report, Rivian’s stock tumbled to all-time low prices. The company continues to bleed money and is losing more than $40,000 per vehicle. Rivian also provided lower guidance for annual deliveries and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk basically implied that Rivian could be bankrupt in a few months if it did not cut costs.
So why am I asking if Rivian stock is a buy again? On Thursday, the company made a few announcements that could change everything for the future.
Rivian revealed not one but two new vehicles in a surprise announcement on Thursday. These aren’t the high-end luxury trucks that the company is known for but two mass-market, economy vehicles that should go head-to-head directly with the Model 3 and Model Y from Tesla. The Rivian R2, R3 and the R3X are smaller, cross-over style SUVs that are fully electric with elements of the classic Rivian esthetic.
These vehicles harken back to older European-style vehicles. Not quite station wagons but not quite a smaller hatchback either. Either way, it promises to be a family-sized EV without the high-end price tag that has plagued so many electric cars.
Rivian (RIVN) Stock Outlook
Is this alone worth considering Rivian’s stock again? It’s a good start. The company also announced that it would be delaying construction of its new factory in Georgia which will save them more than $2.2 billion in costs. The price of the R2 is expected to be about $45,000 which is certainly appealing when you add in the incentives and tax credits.
The stock surged by more than 13% which was easily its best trading session of 2024. It could be the break that shareholders were looking for with the beaten-down stock. The R1S and R1T are nice and its partnership with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is a bonus, but to ever fully compete with Tesla, Rivian needed to begin producing a vehicle that could rival the Model Y.
If there’s one criticism of this bull case it is that the R2 isn’t expected to hit the showroom until the first half of 2026. So are we to accumulate Rivian shares until then? I have a hard time thinking about tying up my capital for that long without a high degree of certainty. Don’t get me wrong, Rivian has executed fairly well so far, especially compared to much of the competition. But in a market where Tesla is the king, how can I buy Rivian when I don’t even want to buy Tesla?
If you want to start a speculative position in Rivan I wouldn’t blame you. But don’t be surprised if another speed bump comes before 2026. This company is going to need money to build those new vehicles and the stock looks prime for some shareholder dilution in the coming months.
Rate this article