What happened
Rivian Automotive (RIVN +2.01%) isn't giving its shareholders any respite -- the electric vehicle (EV) stock was down by 22.6% for the week as of 10:30 a.m. ET Friday, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. At this point, Rivian has declined by a whopping 41% year to date.
So what
Rivian has published only one press release so far this month, and it was a one-liner: All the company said was that it had produced 1,015 vehicles and delivered 920 as of the end of 2021. The company had previously forecast that it would produce 1,200 vehicles in 2021, but in December, management said that it would fall short of that target. Given that the market had already been warned, investors shouldn't have been surprised when Rivian announced the actual numbers. So why is the stock under so much pressure right now?
Image source: Getty Images.
First, the Federal Reserve's plan to increase benchmark interest rates this year to fight inflation has triggered a sell-off in growth stocks. Rivian is one of them: Even after its steep fall in recent days, its market capitalization currently stands at a lofty $57 billion. Weigh that against the fact that Rivian barely started delivering its first electric vehicles late last year, is neck-deep in losses, and generated only $1 million in revenue through the first three quarters of 2021, and it's easy to understand why many traders have lately been unloading this speculative EV stock.
To top that, Ford Motor Company (F +3.46%), which owns a substantial stake in Rivian, announced on Tuesday that it expects to report a gain of $8.2 billion from that investment when it releases fourth-quarter earnings in early February. Having given out that number, Ford has made its intention of selling its stake in the EV start-up clear. That news came at a time when Rivian shares had already been hammered. Clearly, Ford's announcement hasn't gone down well with Rivian investors.
Now what
Rivian's mid-December earnings release was a huge disappointment. Now, investors and analysts alike are left waiting to learn if the electric vehicle maker's 2021 production shortfall was a temporary hitch, and whether it can actually scale up its production as planned.
