Reddit, Inc. (NYSE: RDDT) ended Wednesday, December 17, 2025, with a mostly calm post-market tape after a headline-driven regular session. Shares finished the day at $227.34 and were hovering around $227.20 in after-hours trading later in the evening—essentially flat in extended hours. During the session, the stock traded between $226.83 and $235.42 on roughly 5.65 million shares. [1]
That lack of after-hours fireworks matters: when a fast-moving, high-beta name like Reddit doesn’t gap meaningfully after the bell, it often means the market believes the day’s catalyst has largely been “digested.” The bigger question heading into Thursday, Dec. 18 is whether macro headlines (especially inflation data) and a heavy earnings calendar reprice risk across growth stocks—pulling RDDT with it.
What happened after the bell: RDDT steadies near $227 in extended trading
In late after-hours trading, Reddit shares were down only a fraction from the close (about -0.06% on StockAnalysis’ real-time feed), signaling that no major company-specific announcement hit the tape immediately after 4 p.m. ET. [2]
A second real-time snapshot from MarketWatch shortly after the close showed a similarly quiet move—RDDT near $227.25 at 4:38 p.m. ET, with modest after-hours volume. [3]
Why Reddit stock moved today: an RBC price-target bump lit the fuse
The clearest “today” catalyst was sell-side commentary.
A widely-circulated note said RBC Capital Markets raised its price target on Reddit to $250 from $245, while maintaining a “Sector Perform” rating. Reports tied the afternoon pop in the stock directly to that target increase. [4]
Two nuances are worth calling out for investors reading this move:
- RBC did not upgrade the rating. A higher price target with the same rating often signals “we’re less bearish / more constructive,” but not necessarily “we think you should aggressively buy it here.” [5]
- RDDT is volatile by nature. StockStory flagged that Reddit has logged dozens of >5% moves over the past year, so a ~3% session move on a target change is notable—but not unusual for this ticker. [6]
The bull case getting airtime today: user growth momentum into 2026
Beyond RBC, today’s coverage leaned into a familiar Reddit narrative: the platform’s user-growth engine plus improving monetization.
Investor’s Business Daily reported that Piper Sandler cited third-party data suggesting monthly active users rose 2% in November to 953 million, extending a multi-month growth streak. In the same write-up, Jefferies was described as calling Reddit a top 2026 idea and raising its price target to $325 from $300, pointing to user growth supported by product and onboarding improvements. [7]
IBD also referenced a FactSet expectation that average daily active users could rise meaningfully in 2026 (a forward-looking data point investors will likely use as a yardstick for whether Reddit’s growth is accelerating or normalizing). [8]
Context matters: Reddit rose even as the broader market sagged
Reddit’s relative strength also stood out because the broader tape weakened. Investor’s Business Daily’s market wrap described major indexes sliding on Dec. 17 and noted Reddit as one of the names gaining during the downturn. [9]
When a stock outperforms on a down day, it can attract incremental attention from momentum traders and funds that screen for relative strength—especially if the move is paired with a fresh analyst note.
Where Wall Street targets sit now: a wide range, with $250 as the battleground number
The “forecast” story on Reddit remains unusually dispersed—typical for a newer public company with rapid growth, big narrative drivers (AI data licensing, advertising), and still-evolving margins.
- MarketWatch’s analyst snapshot listed targets ranging from $115 (low) to $325 (high), with a median around $250 and an average near $250. [10]
- MarketBeat’s consensus summary was lower, showing an average target closer to the low-$230s (based on its tracked analyst set). [11]
If you anchor on today’s close near $227, an RBC-style $250 target implies roughly 10% upside, while a Jefferies-style $325 target implies roughly 43% upside—illustrating how different assumptions about growth and monetization can radically change “fair value.”
The key “before the open” catalyst: U.S. CPI hits Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET
If you only watch one thing before the market opens on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, make it this:
8:30 a.m. ET — U.S. CPI for November 2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists Nov. 2025 CPI as scheduled for Dec. 18, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. ET. [12]
But there’s a twist investors shouldn’t ignore: following the 2025 lapse in appropriations, BLS flagged that the November CPI release will have limitations because October CPI data are missing, and some one-month percent changes won’t be published where October comparisons can’t be constructed. [13]
Why CPI matters for Reddit stock specifically
RDDT trades like a growth/long-duration equity. In plain English: when inflation prints surprise higher, bond yields can jump and investors often de-rate high-multiple growth stocks. When inflation surprises lower, the opposite can happen.
So even if Reddit itself has no company news Thursday morning, CPI can still drive a meaningful pre-market move.
Other 8:30 a.m. ET releases also on the radar
A market calendar recap published late Dec. 17 also flagged initial jobless claims and the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index as Thursday morning data points that could add to volatility. [14]
Earnings that can move the whole tape on Dec. 18
Even if you’re focused on Reddit, big-cap earnings can shift sentiment, sector rotation, and index futures—especially in a market already sensitive to “AI boom vs. AI bubble” narratives.
Here’s what’s on the schedule for Thursday:
- Accenture (ACN): Accenture’s newsroom announcement said it would issue results before its 8:00 a.m. ET call on Dec. 18. [15]
- Nike (NKE): Nike said it plans to release results after the close on Dec. 18 (about 1:15 p.m. PT / 4:15 p.m. ET), followed by a conference call. [16]
- FedEx (FDX): FedEx is widely expected to report after the close on Dec. 18, per market calendars. [17]
And from the “already hit tonight” file: Micron (MU) reported after Wednesday’s close and issued strong guidance, a reminder that macro sentiment around AI and tech spending can flip quickly with one major report. [18]
What to watch on RDDT specifically before Thursday’s open
1) Pre-market direction vs. key reference points
From Wednesday’s tape, three numbers matter most going into Thursday:
- $227 area: where the stock closed and then stabilized in after-hours [19]
- $235.42: Wednesday’s intraday high (a near-term resistance zone traders will watch) [20]
- $226.83–$227: the low area from Wednesday’s trading range [21]
If CPI sparks a broad risk-off move, watch whether RDDT breaks below that lower zone quickly. If CPI sparks a rally, watch whether the stock can reclaim the mid-$230s and challenge that $235 area.
2) Options-implied volatility
Options pricing matters on a stock that can move fast. OptionCharts listed RDDT implied volatility around the low-60% range as of Dec. 17. [22]
High IV doesn’t predict direction—but it does suggest the market is pricing in meaningful swings, which can amplify post-news moves (especially around CPI).
3) Short interest (a potential accelerant, not a catalyst)
MarketBeat’s short-interest data showed roughly 18.9 million shares sold short, about 15% of float (as of its listed reporting date). [23]
In practice, that means: if RDDT gaps up on a macro tailwind and volume accelerates, shorts can add fuel to the move. If it gaps down, short interest can also embolden bearish momentum.
4) The next earnings window is approaching (but not confirmed)
MarketBeat lists Reddit’s next earnings date as estimated for mid-February 2026, while also noting the company hasn’t confirmed. [24]
Whether the exact date ends up being Feb. 11, Feb. 18, or another day, the “earnings clock” matters because Reddit’s valuation is sensitive to:
- user-growth trends,
- ad load/pricing,
- and any updates on AI/data licensing.
The longer-term fundamentals investors keep returning to
Even on a day driven by analyst notes, the underlying thesis is still the same:
- Scale: Reddit’s investor overview highlights 116 million Daily Active Uniques and 443 million+ Weekly Active Uniques (as of Sept. 30, 2025), underscoring why advertisers and data partners care about the platform’s reach. [25]
- AI-adjacent monetization: Recent commentary continues to frame Reddit as a valuable source of human conversation data for AI training and products, alongside its core advertising business. [26]
- Valuation is the debate: With Reddit’s market cap around $43B and a 52-week range stretching roughly $80 to $283, the stock has already proven it can re-rate quickly in both directions.
Bottom line: RDDT is calm after hours—but Thursday morning could be anything but
Reddit stock’s after-hours trade on Dec. 17 is telling you one thing: today’s “RDDT-specific” catalyst (analyst price-target changes) didn’t create a second wave of surprises after the close. [27]
But the real risk—and opportunity—before Thursday’s open is macro: the Nov. 2025 CPI print at 8:30 a.m. ET, arriving with known data gaps due to the 2025 shutdown disruptions. That single release can reshape index futures, yields, and growth-stock multiples in minutes. [28]
References
1. stockanalysis.com, 2. stockanalysis.com, 3. www.marketwatch.com, 4. www.tradingview.com, 5. www.tradingview.com, 6. www.tradingview.com, 7. www.investors.com, 8. www.investors.com, 9. www.investors.com, 10. www.marketwatch.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com, 12. www.bls.gov, 13. www.bls.gov, 14. ng.investing.com, 15. newsroom.accenture.com, 16. investors.nike.com, 17. www.nasdaq.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. stockanalysis.com, 20. stockanalysis.com, 21. stockanalysis.com, 22. optioncharts.io, 23. www.marketbeat.com, 24. www.marketbeat.com, 25. investor.redditinc.com, 26. www.tradingview.com, 27. stockanalysis.com, 28. www.bls.gov
