NEW YORK, May 24, 2026, 10:03 (EDT)
- Archer Aviation finished Friday at $6.36, gaining 3.92%. The stock posted a weekly gain of around 5.1%.
- U.S. stock markets are closed Monday for Memorial Day. The next regular trading session is Tuesday.
- Investors are looking at FAA certification moves while also watching for big quarterly losses and fresh insider sale filings.
Archer Aviation Inc. stock picked up speed heading into the Memorial Day pause. Shares finished Friday at $6.36, a gain of 3.92%, with nearly 79.3 million shares traded. After hours, the stock eased back to $6.29.
Tuesday is the next big day for markets. U.S. stock trading is closed Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day, Intercontinental Exchange said. Regular trading wrapped up Friday with markets shutting ahead of the long weekend.
Archer is drawing interest as a new way for growth and retail traders to play the air-taxi trade, thanks to its cleaner, high-beta profile. These electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, aren’t in the market yet, but every move in certification, fresh funding, or insider activity tends to hit the stock harder than larger, established aerospace players.
Archer added 5.1% last week, closing at $6.36 Friday versus $6.05 the week before. Shares dropped Monday to Wednesday, then rebounded, up 5.88% Thursday and another 3.92% Friday, according to historical market data.
Archer’s most recent official update is still its May 11 first-quarter release. The company said it has hit Phase 3 of the FAA’s four-step type-certification for the Midnight aircraft, and is working on Phase 4 testing. That phase is where formal tests and analysis prove the aircraft meets airworthiness standards.
Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said Archer had a “banner quarter,” adding the company is “far more than an air taxi company.” He pointed to its progress in defense and artificial intelligence, as well as the commercial aircraft program. investors.archer.com
Archer’s first-quarter results are mixed. The company posted $1.6 million in revenue, a net loss of $217.7 million, and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $172.5 million. Adjusted EBITDA removes interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and some other costs. Investors often look at it to compare operating results, but it doesn’t show cash burn by itself.
Wall Street is sticking with Archer for now. MarketBeat said Saturday that eight analysts covering the company have an average rating of “Moderate Buy.” That breaks down to five buy calls, two holds and one sell. The group’s average one-year target landed at about $11.83. Canaccord Genuity dropped its target to $12 from $13, but left its buy rating in place after the earnings, according to MarketBeat. MarketBeat
A supply overhang may be in play. On May 21, former officer Tosha Perkins filed a SEC Form 144 outlining plans to sell 50,000 Class A shares valued at $300,000. Form 144 lets affiliates alert the market before they sell restricted or control stock.
Competition is still close. Joby Aviation shows up as the direct listed air-taxi comp, with BETA Technologies also in the mix through its FAA pilot-program projects. Both names let investors check if Archer’s recent jump is just about Archer or if eVTOLs in general are moving.
Risk is clear here. Certification could drag out, spending might stay high, and new shares or insider selling could hit a stock still trading far below its 52-week high of $14.62. Archer said it finished the first quarter with around $1.8 billion in liquidity. The market’s key question for the week: is that cash enough to keep things running as losses stay heavy?
