Updated November 24, 2025 – early afternoon U.S. trading
Key takeaways
- WRD stock (WeRide Inc. ADR) is trading around $8.24 today, up roughly 14%, with volume near 8 million shares, already above its recent average. [1]
- The move follows Q3 2025 results showing revenue up 144.3% year over year to RMB 171.0 million (~US$24 million) and gross margin expanding to 32.9% from 6.5% a year ago. [2]
- Robotaxi revenue surged 761% YoY to RMB 35.3 million (~US$5 million) and now makes up about 20.7% of total revenue, versus 5.8% in Q3 2024. [3]
- Net loss narrowed sharply to RMB 307.3 million (US$43.2 million), with loss per ADS improving to RMB 1.02 (US$0.15) from RMB 14.79 (US$2.02) a year earlier. [4]
- Even after today’s spike, WRD trades far below its 52‑week high near $44, highlighting both upside potential and the stock’s extreme volatility. [5]
Note: This article refers to WeRide Inc. (NASDAQ: WRD), the autonomous-driving company, not the delisted oil & gas operator WildHorse Resource Development, which also formerly used the ticker WRD. [6]
WRD stock today: double‑digit surge after Q3 earnings
As of early afternoon on Monday, November 24, 2025, WeRide’s U.S.-listed ADRs (ticker: WRD) are changing hands near $8.24, up from Friday’s close of $7.20. That puts WRD up roughly 14% on the day, making it one of the more active Chinese tech and autonomous-vehicle names in U.S. trading. [7]
Trading interest is heavy: volume is running around 7.9 million shares versus an average of about 7.4 million, suggesting fresh money is reacting to the morning’s earnings release and guidance. [8]
Key trading stats for WRD today:
- Last price: ~$8.24
- Prior close: $7.20
- Intraday high / low: roughly $8.42 / $7.54
- Market cap: about $2.3 billion
- 52‑week range:$6.03 – $44.00
- Beta: ≈ 2.4 (high volatility)
- Trailing EPS (annual): about –$1.27, implying a negative P/E. [9]
Pre‑market, WRD was already up between 8% and 14% as traders digested the company’s Q3 2025 results and a fresh batch of regulatory and commercial milestones, especially around its robotaxi operations. [10]
What WeRide does and why WRD matters
WeRide Inc. is a China‑based autonomous driving company focused on commercializing self‑driving technology across several lines of business:
- Robotaxi (autonomous ride‑hailing)
- Robobus (autonomous shuttle / bus services)
- Robovan (autonomous logistics)
- Robosweeper (autonomous street-cleaning vehicles)
The company also develops L2–L4 autonomous driving and ADAS solutions for automakers and operates the WeRide Go app for ride‑hailing in selected cities. [11]
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Guangzhou, WeRide says its technologies are being tested or operated in more than 30 cities across 11 countries, and its vehicles hold autonomous driving permits in eight markets, including China, the UAE, Singapore, France, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States. [12]
That global footprint is central to the investment thesis for WRD stock, which offers U.S. investors exposure to the commercialization of robotaxis and autonomous driving infrastructure.
Q3 2025 earnings: 144% revenue growth and expanding margins
The immediate catalyst for today’s WRD move is WeRide’s Q3 2025 earnings release and conference call, published before the market open. [13]
Headline numbers
For the quarter ended September 30, 2025, WeRide reported: [14]
- Total revenue: RMB 171.0 million (≈ US$24.0 million),
- Up 144.3% year over year from RMB 70.0 million in Q3 2024.
- Product revenue: RMB 79.2 million (≈ US$11.1 million),
- Up 428.0% YoY, driven largely by higher sales of robotaxis and robobuses.
- Service revenue: RMB 91.8 million (≈ US$12.9 million),
- Up 66.9% YoY, helped by growth in intelligent data services and operational/technical support.
On the profitability front:
- Gross profit: RMB 56.3 million (≈ US$7.9 million),
- Up more than 1,100% YoY, with gross margin jumping to 32.9% from 6.5% in the prior‑year quarter.
- Operating expenses: RMB 435.8 million (≈ US$61.2 million),
- Down significantly from RMB 895.7 million a year ago, mainly due to lower share‑based compensation and tighter cost control in SG&A.
- Net loss: RMB 307.3 million (≈ US$43.2 million),
- Narrowed from RMB 1,042.7 million in Q3 2024.
- Net loss per ADS: RMB 1.02 (US$0.15),
- Dramatically better than RMB 14.79 (US$2.02) per ADS in the year‑ago quarter.
The company’s non‑IFRS adjusted net loss was RMB 275.6 million, slightly larger than the adjusted loss of RMB 240.3 million a year earlier, reflecting continued heavy R&D investment even as reported losses narrow. [15]
Balance sheet
WeRide also highlighted a sizable liquidity cushion: as of September 30, 2025, it held roughly RMB 5.4 billion (about US$760 million) in cash, cash equivalents, time deposits, restricted cash and wealth‑management products. [16]
For investors, that war chest is important: autonomous driving is capital‑intensive, and WeRide’s path to profitability requires ongoing spending on R&D, fleet deployment and regulatory engagement.
Robotaxi momentum: 761% revenue growth and eight‑country permit footprint
The standout section of WeRide’s report — and the core driver of today’s WRD stock move — is the robotaxi business.
Robotaxi revenue and mix
In Q3 2025, WeRide’s robotaxi segment delivered: [17]
- Robotaxi revenue: RMB 35.3 million (≈ US$5.0 million),
- Year‑over‑year growth:+761%,
- Share of total revenue:20.7%, up from just 5.8% in Q3 2024.
This rapid shift in mix underscores that robotaxis are moving from pilot projects toward a more meaningful commercial contribution, even if the overall base remains relatively small.
Global expansion and permits
WeRide’s Q3 update also doubled as a global expansion scorecard, with a flurry of regulatory and commercial wins: [18]
- Abu Dhabi, UAE:
- Secured a fully driverless commercial robotaxi permit, removing the requirement for an in‑vehicle safety operator.
- Management says this enables unit economics breakeven for its Abu Dhabi robotaxi fleet.
- WeRide plans to expand its Middle East AV fleet to “tens of thousands” of robotaxis by 2030.
- Switzerland (Zurich region):
- Obtained Switzerland’s first driverless robotaxi permit for passenger service, with fully driverless operations targeted in 2026.
- Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) & Ras Al Khaimah (UAE):
- Expanded robotaxi and robobus pilots, including services via the Uber platform in Riyadh. [19]
- Singapore:
- The Land Transport Authority granted approval for WeRide and Grab to test AVs across the Punggol district, with public passenger service expected in early 2026. [20]
- China (Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen and beyond):
- WeRide operates 24‑hour, fully driverless robotaxi services in parts of Guangzhou and Beijing, and runs commercial robobus lines in multiple Chinese cities. [21]
Taken together, these milestones help explain why WeRide has become one of the more globally diversified autonomous‑driving plays, with operations or trials across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and why WRD stock tends to react strongly to incremental regulatory news.
How today’s move fits into WRD’s volatile year
If you zoom out from today’s rally, WRD stock has had a roller‑coaster 12 months.
- The shares traded as high as roughly $44 in the last year, helped by enthusiasm around autonomous driving and news that Nvidia had taken a stake in the company. [22]
- Since then, WRD has pulled back sharply, and according to one set of MarketWatch performance data, the ADRs were down roughly 30% over the past month and more than 20% over three months heading into today’s session. [23]
- The stock’s beta near 2.4 and history of double‑digit daily moves underscore how sentiment‑driven and speculative it remains. [24]
In other words, today’s 14% pop is not unusual in the context of WRD’s trading history. For momentum traders, this volatility is part of the appeal. For longer‑term investors, it’s a reminder that position sizing and risk management are critical.
What Wall Street thinks about WRD stock
Because WeRide only listed on Nasdaq recently, analyst coverage is still relatively thin, but the data that is available paints an interesting picture.
- StockAnalysis, aggregating several broker views, shows WRD rated “Strong Buy” on average, with a consensus 12‑month price target around $16.17, implying close to 97% upside from the latest price near $8.20. [25]
- MarketBeat, using a slightly different set of analysts, pegs WRD’s consensus rating closer to “Hold,” with a target around $13.75, or roughly 90% upside from prior levels near $7.20. [26]
The key takeaway: analysts generally see material upside if WeRide can execute, but opinions differ on the risk/reward balance and the timing of profitability.
The bigger picture: path to profitability still uncertain
Even as WeRide posts eye‑catching revenue growth, profitability remains a central concern for institutional investors.
A recent Financial Times piece highlighted that WeRide aims to achieve profitability within about five years, but emphasized that regulation, high R&D costs and the economics of robotaxi fleets make timing “difficult to predict.” Analysts cited in the article expect many robotaxi operators may not reach sustainable profitability until around 2028 or later. [27]
Key risk factors for WRD stock include:
- Regulatory complexity
- Operating fully driverless vehicles requires city‑by‑city and country‑by‑country approvals, with evolving safety standards. Any high‑profile incident or regulatory reversal could slow deployments. [28]
- High cash burn and R&D intensity
- WeRide’s R&D expenses rose to over RMB 316 million in Q3 2025, and while operating expenses are down year‑over‑year, the company still spends heavily to maintain technology leadership and expand its fleet. [29]
- Geopolitical and listing risk
- As a Chinese autonomous-driving company listed in the U.S., WeRide faces headline risk around U.S.–China relations, data/security rules and ADR regulation, which could affect investor sentiment or access to capital. [30]
- Competitive landscape
- WeRide competes with Baidu’s Apollo Go, Pony.ai, AutoX, and global players like Waymo and Cruise, as well as traditional automakers building their own ADAS stacks. Partnerships (e.g., with Uber, Tencent Cloud and Renault) help, but there is no guarantee WeRide will be one of the ultimate winners. [31]
- Valuation vs. execution risk
- Even after the sell‑off from its highs, WRD still trades at a rich multiple of sales for a loss‑making company, and today’s post‑earnings spike pushes that multiple higher. The equity story depends on WeRide translating its global footprint into durable, high‑margin cash flows over time. [32]
Is WRD stock a buy after today’s spike?
From an informational standpoint, today’s WRD rally is supported by genuinely strong fundamental news:
- Revenue growth above 140%
- A more than ten‑fold increase in gross profit
- Expanding gross margins
- Robotaxi revenue up 761% and now over one‑fifth of the business
- A growing global network of driverless permits and commercial pilots
At the same time, the investment case is still high‑risk, high‑reward:
- The company is not yet profitable, and adjusted losses remain sizable. [33]
- The stock has already shown it can swing from single digits to the $30–$40 range and back in a matter of months. [34]
- Future returns will likely hinge on execution, regulatory stability and the pace of autonomous‑vehicle adoption, more than on any single quarter’s numbers.
For growth‑oriented investors who:
- understand the risks of early‑stage autonomous‑driving stocks,
- can tolerate extreme volatility, and
- are willing to take a multi‑year view,
WRD may look more interesting today than it did before earnings, as the Q3 report offers tangible evidence that WeRide’s robotaxi and global expansion strategy is gaining traction.
For more conservative or income‑oriented investors, the stock may still appear too speculative given the lack of profitability, regulatory uncertainties and the company’s heavy reliance on continuous investment.
What to watch next for WRD
If you’re tracking WRD stock after today’s move, key follow‑ups to monitor include:
- Post‑earnings price action
- Does WRD hold onto today’s gains, or does it give back the move as short‑term traders take profits?
- Price behavior around the $8–$9 zone could indicate whether investors see this as the start of a new leg higher or just a relief rally.
- Updates on Abu Dhabi, Zurich, Singapore and Hong Kong deployments
- Execution against the new permits — particularly in Abu Dhabi (where unit economics are approaching breakeven) and Switzerland (where fully driverless passenger service is planned for 2026) — will be critical proof points. [35]
- Scaling of the Uber and Tencent Cloud partnerships
- Watch for new city launches via Uber and deeper integration with Tencent Cloud as WeRide rolls out services to more overseas markets. [36]
- Margin and cash‑burn trajectory
- Future quarters will show whether the 32.9% gross margin is sustainable and whether operating expenses can grow more slowly than revenue. [37]
- Regulatory or safety headlines
- Any major incident — positive (new permits, commercial launches) or negative (accidents, regulatory crackdowns) — could move WRD sharply, given how sentiment‑driven the sector remains. [38]
Final word
WRD stock today is a classic “story stock”: big global ambitions, rapid top‑line growth and a compelling technology narrative, but also considerable uncertainty about long‑term profitability and regulatory outcomes.
For now, the market is clearly rewarding WeRide for delivering a blockbuster Q3 and reinforcing its global leadership in robotaxis. Whether today’s rally marks the start of a sustained uptrend or just another spike in a volatile chart will depend on what the company does with this momentum over the next several quarters.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before making investment decisions.
References
1. stocktwits.com, 2. www.nasdaq.com, 3. www.nasdaq.com, 4. www.nasdaq.com, 5. stocktwits.com, 6. www.wallstrank.com, 7. stocktwits.com, 8. stocktwits.com, 9. stocktwits.com, 10. stocktwits.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.weride.ai, 13. www.nasdaq.com, 14. www.nasdaq.com, 15. www.nasdaq.com, 16. www.nasdaq.com, 17. www.nasdaq.com, 18. www.nasdaq.com, 19. www.nasdaq.com, 20. www.nasdaq.com, 21. www.nasdaq.com, 22. stocktwits.com, 23. www.marketwatch.com, 24. stocktwits.com, 25. stockanalysis.com, 26. www.marketbeat.com, 27. www.ft.com, 28. en.wikipedia.org, 29. www.nasdaq.com, 30. www.reuters.com, 31. www.reuters.com, 32. stockanalysis.com, 33. www.nasdaq.com, 34. stocktwits.com, 35. www.nasdaq.com, 36. www.reuters.com, 37. www.nasdaq.com, 38. en.wikipedia.org
