Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) heads into the weekend at the center of one of the hottest storylines in the emerging electric air‑taxi (eVTOL) sector: a bruised share price, a fresh institutional buyer, an aggressive short‑seller report, and a high‑stakes lawsuit from rival Joby Aviation.
Here’s a detailed, news‑ready look at where Archer’s stock stands as of Saturday, November 22, 2025, and what investors need to know from today’s headlines.
ACHR stock snapshot for November 22, 2025
U.S. markets are closed today, so the latest full trading data comes from Friday, November 21, 2025:
- Last close:$7.18 per share
- Daily move:+4.51% vs. Thursday’s close
- Intraday range: low $6.55, high $7.285
- Volume: about 59 million shares, well above average [1]
Over the past year, Archer has been extremely volatile:
- 52‑week range:$5.48 – $14.62
- 1‑year performance: roughly +19%, despite the recent slide
- Price vs. 52‑week high: shares trade at about half their peak level. [2]
On fundamentals, Archer is still firmly a pre‑revenue growth story:
- Market cap around $4.7 billion
- Negative earnings (P/E about ‑5.7)
- Very low leverage (debt‑to‑equity roughly 0.05)
- Huge liquidity cushion, with current and quick ratios above 18, supported by recent capital raises [3]
In other words: the balance sheet is strong, but the business is still burning cash and nowhere near profitability.
Fresh headlines today: PNC buying, Motley Fool warning and ownership breakdown
1. PNC Financial Services doubles its ACHR stake
The key institutional headline dated November 22, 2025 comes from MarketBeat:
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. more than doubled its position in Archer during Q2, adding 38,467 shares and bringing its total to 71,553 shares worth about $776,000. That’s a 116% increase in its stake. [4]
The same filing recap notes:
- Other large investors such as ARK Investment Management and Northern Trust have also boosted their positions.
- Roughly 59% of Archer’s float is now held by institutional investors, signaling that “smart money” remains engaged despite volatility. [5]
For retail investors, that matters: institutional support can dampen downside or amplify selling pressure if sentiment flips.
2. “2 Things Every Archer Aviation Investor Needs to Know”
Also published today, The Motley Fool’s John Bromels lays out two big points in an article syndicated via Nasdaq and Yahoo Finance: [6]
- Archer has bold commercial plans, but still no certified commercial aircraft.
- Its Midnight eVTOL is designed to carry four passengers plus a pilot as a cleaner, cheaper alternative to helicopters for short urban hops.
- Target launch cities include New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
- Midnight has flown test missions up to ~55 miles at an average ~126 mph, and Archer claims over 100 miles of range on a full charge — but it has not yet received FAA type certification, so there is still no commercial service and no recurring revenue. [7]
- Cash burn and dilution are the core risks.
- Over the past year, Archer has burned about $487 million in free cash flow.
- It spent roughly $128 million agreeing to buy Hawthorne Municipal Airport in the Los Angeles area, which it wants to turn into a hub for its LA air‑taxi network and the 2028 Olympics. [8]
- To fund operations and the Hawthorne deal, Archer has issued tens of millions of new shares, expanding the share count by almost 30% in 2025 alone and announcing a new 81.25 million‑share offering at $8, expected to raise $650 million. [9]
The article’s bottom line: Archer is highly speculative, with meaningful upside if Midnight reaches commercial service — but current shareholders should expect more dilution and volatility until the business generates real revenue. [10]
3. Who actually owns Archer now? TipRanks breaks it down
A TipRanks piece highlighted today on several aggregators frames Archer’s weak share price as an ownership story. [11]
Key points:
- Performance: ACHR is down about 34% over the past month and 26% year‑to‑date, despite better‑than‑expected Q3 results, new partnerships and visible flight‑test progress. [12]
- Ownership mix:
- Public companies and individual investors: ~45%
- Insiders: ~24.3%
- ETFs: ~20.4%
- Mutual funds: ~8.3%
- Other institutions: ~2%
- Top shareholders:
- Stellantis N.V. (auto giant and manufacturing partner) with about 9.3%
- Entrepreneur Marc Lore (Walmart’s former e‑commerce chief) with roughly 8.7%
- ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) with about 3.0%
- SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) with around 2.7%
- Vanguard index funds and Fidelity funds also hold notable positions. [13]
Despite the sell‑off, TipRanks notes a “Strong Buy” Wall Street consensus with an average price target around $12.40, implying roughly 70%–75% upside from current levels if analysts are right. [14]
The legal storm: Joby lawsuit, Hunterbrook short report and “corporate espionage” claims
The most dramatic part of the Archer story this week (and a key overhang for the stock) is legal and reputational, not technical.
1. Joby sues Archer over alleged trade‑secret theft
On November 19, 2025, Joby Aviation filed a lawsuit in California state court (Santa Cruz County) accusing Archer and a former Joby executive, George Kivork, of misusing confidential information. [15]
Across reports from Reuters, TechCrunch, Axios, FlightGlobal and Vertical, the complaint broadly alleges that:
- Kivork downloaded or forwarded dozens of internal Joby files — including partnership terms, vertiport and airport access strategies, and technical aircraft details — shortly before leaving Joby for Archer. [16]
- Joby claims Archer then used that knowledge to interfere with a confidential real‑estate deal involving future air‑taxi landing sites. [17]
Archer has strongly denied the allegations:
- Chief legal & strategy officer Eric Lentell called the lawsuit “baseless litigation,” saying Joby is trying to slow a competitor through the courts rather than in the market.
- Archer argues the suit doesn’t identify any specific trade secrets actually used and points to its employee‑onboarding controls. [18]
The case is in early stages; no court has ruled on the merits. But for investors, it introduces headline risk, the potential for legal costs, and—if Joby prevails—possibly operational constraints or damages.
2. Hunterbrook’s short report: “Archer Promised to Fly at Dubai Airshow…”
On November 21, investigative outlet Hunterbrook Media published a highly critical report titled “Archer Promised to Fly at Dubai Airshow. Its Air Taxi Never Left the Ground.” [19]
The report alleges, among other points:
- Archer spent months promoting a public Midnight flight at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, but the aircraft remained a static display in an exhibition hall and never flew in the show’s official program. [20]
- Hunterbrook claims promotional flight footage that Archer highlighted around the event was actually filmed at Al Ain International Airport, more than 50 miles from the Airshow, and not part of the show itself. [21]
- The report notes what it says is a pattern of cancelled public flight demos, including a previously announced public flight at Expo 2025 Osaka that was later downgraded to a static display. [22]
- Hunterbrook discloses that its affiliated fund, Hunterbrook Capital, is short ACHR and long JOBY, meaning it profits if Archer’s shares fall and Joby’s rise. [23]
Again, these are allegations from a short‑seller, not established facts, and Archer has not yet issued a detailed public rebuttal. But the report has clearly influenced sentiment.
3. Market reaction: stock shrugs… for now
A Benzinga piece on November 21 reported that Archer shares traded modestly higher Friday afternoon, even as traders digested the Hunterbrook report and the Joby lawsuit. [24]
Key details:
- Intraday ACHR quotes around $7.03–$7.21, modestly green on the day.
- The article reiterates the report’s central claim (no Dubai Airshow flight) and notes that Hunterbrook Capital is short ACHR and long JOBY.
- It also highlights that Joby’s lawsuit, and Hunterbrook’s framing of it, deepen the Archer‑vs‑Joby rivalry narrative. [25]
Investors are left weighing reputational and legal risk against Archer’s technical progress and strategic deals.
Strategic wins: Saudi/UAE partnerships and the Hawthorne “Grand Central” hub
Despite the negative headlines, Archer has racked up meaningful strategic wins that help explain why many analysts remain bullish.
1. Saudi sandbox: Red Sea Global and The Helicopter Company
On November 19, Reuters reported that Archer signed a deal with The Helicopter Company (THC) and luxury developer Red Sea Global, both owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). [26]
Highlights:
- The partners will build a “sandbox” test environment in Saudi Arabia where Archer’s Midnight can fly under real‑world desert conditions.
- The program will evaluate performance, regulatory alignment, passenger acceptance and infrastructure readiness.
- Red Sea Global plans to test how Midnight could fit into its sustainable tourism transport network, while THC would be the operator.
- The deal builds on Archer’s international push, following earlier agreements in South Korea and Japan. [27]
This Saudi partnership gives Archer a high‑profile proving ground and connects it directly to a sovereign wealth‑fund ecosystem that has already shown appetite for advanced air mobility.
2. UAE flight tests and powertrain deal with Anduril and EDGE
A MarketBeat deep‑dive this week describes how the United Arab Emirates has become a central stage for both Joby and Archer. [28]
For Archer:
- The company recently completed flight tests of Midnight in the UAE, demonstrating performance in hot, sandy conditions—a key validation for global deployment. [29]
- Archer also signed a landmark agreement to supply its electric powertrain (batteries, motors, control systems) to defense‑tech firm Anduril Industries and the UAE’s EDGE Group.
- The UAE has already placed an initial order for 50 Anduril “Omen” drones powered by Archer’s technology, creating an early, potentially high‑margin B2B revenue stream beyond air taxis. [30]
This shifts Archer from being just an eVTOL OEM to a core powertrain supplier for aviation and defense, which could significantly broaden its addressable market.
3. Hawthorne Airport: building an LA Olympic hub
Earlier this month, Archer announced plans to acquire control of Hawthorne Municipal Airport (KHHR) in Los Angeles for about $126 million in cash, via long‑term lease rights that should close by year‑end pending city approval. [31]
Multiple outlets (Barron’s, local press, and aviation trades) describe the strategy as follows:
- Hawthorne will serve as Archer’s central LA hub and AI testbed for its air‑taxi network.
- The location is strategically close to LAX and SoFi Stadium, positioning Archer to move Olympics‑bound passengers during the Los Angeles 2028 Games, assuming Midnight is certified in time. [32]
- The Hawthorne purchase is being partially funded by the $650 million equity offering mentioned earlier. [33]
Barron’s notes that while the share sale was painful for existing investors, it pushed Archer’s total liquidity above $2 billion, and several analysts still see upside with average price targets just over $12.70 and a majority Buy ratings. [34]
Financials: deep losses, but a long cash runway
Archer’s latest quarterly results (Q3 2025) and follow‑on commentary paint the classic high‑risk, high‑burn pre‑revenue picture.
- Q3 net loss: about $130 million, with EPS of ‑$0.20, matching consensus. [35]
- Revenue: still negligible; analysts track a revenue “forecast” of only a few million dollars, tied to early contracts and development work. [36]
- Free cash flow burn: roughly $487 million over the past 12 months. [37]
- Liquidity: after the Hawthorne‑linked share sale, Archer is estimated to have $2+ billion in total liquidity, though it is not expected to be cash‑flow positive until around 2029 in some analyst models. [38]
From a balance‑sheet perspective, Archer looks well‑funded but highly dilutive. The key question is whether management can convert that cash into certified aircraft, revenue and operating leverage before investors tire of new share offerings.
Insider activity: selling into strength
One detail that tends to worry growth investors: insiders have been selling.
Recent Investing.com insider‑trading reports show: [39]
- Chief Legal & Strategy Officer Eric Lentell sold 41,490 shares on November 17 at prices between roughly $7.25 and $7.87, totaling about $311,000.
- Other filings point to additional sales by the interim CFO and other executives in mid‑November.
Insider sales don’t automatically signal trouble — executives diversify or exercise options all the time — but against a backdrop of new dilution, legal risk and volatility, they are another data point investors are watching closely.
So is Archer Aviation stock a buy after today’s news?
Putting it all together, here’s how the risk‑reward profile for ACHR looks as of November 22, 2025.
Bullish case
Supporters focus on:
- Massive market opportunity: Urban air mobility could be a multibillion‑dollar market if eVTOLs achieve certification and public acceptance.
- Strategic partnerships: United Airlines, Stellantis, Saudi entities, UAE defense partners (Anduril/EDGE), and others provide both validation and potential demand. [40]
- B2B diversification: Powertrain supply deals and defense applications create new revenue streams that don’t rely solely on running an air‑taxi network. [41]
- Hawthorne and Olympics positioning: A controlled LA hub could be a powerful long‑term asset if Archer launches routes in time for the 2028 Olympics. [42]
- Analyst sentiment: Most covering analysts rate Archer Buy/Strong Buy, with average price targets suggesting 60–75% upside from current levels. [43]
Bearish case
Skeptics point to:
- No commercial revenue yet and uncertainty around FAA certification timelines. [44]
- Heavy cash burn and frequent equity raises, which dilute current shareholders and pressure the stock. [45]
- Legal and reputational risk from Joby’s trade‑secret lawsuit and Hunterbrook’s short report about the Dubai Airshow. These could distract management, add costs and affect partners’ perception, even if Archer ultimately prevails. [46]
- Intense competition from Joby and others, some of whom may be ahead on public flight demonstrations and regulatory milestones. [47]
- Insider selling at prices not far above today’s quote. [48]
What to watch next week
For investors tracking ACHR into next week’s trading, the key catalysts and watch‑points are:
- Any formal response from Archer to the Hunterbrook report, particularly around the Dubai Airshow claims.
- Early court developments or commentary related to Joby’s lawsuit and the SEC‑filing‑linked complaint summarized by Investing.com. [49]
- Additional analyst rating changes or price‑target revisions as Wall Street digests the legal and short‑seller developments. [50]
- Concrete updates on Hawthorne deal approvals from the City of Hawthorne and any new details on planned LA routes. [51]
For now, Archer Aviation remains exactly what today’s coverage suggests: a high‑beta, high‑uncertainty bet on the future of air taxis and electrified aviation. The upside is significant if management executes and regulatory paths hold, but the combination of cash burn, dilution, legal risk and fierce competition means this is not a stock for the risk‑averse.
This article is for information and news purposes only and is not financial advice. Always do your own research and consider consulting a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.
References
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