NEW YORK, July 26, 2026, 16:00 EDT — U.S. markets have finished trading for the day.
- Archer ended Friday at $4.77, maintaining a 7.4% rise for the week.
- The stock gave up 62% of its Monday gain after Halo revealed it had not disclosed the order value.
- As of March, cash and investments accounted for 48.6% of the company’s market value as of Friday.
Archer shares ended last week up 7.4% following its Farnborough defense push, though this increase hid a steep drop in momentum. The stock dropped 6.7% on Friday, closing at $4.77.
The stock climbed 19.6% on Monday, rising by 87 cents to close at $5.31. By Friday, it had lost 54 cents of those gains, wiping out 62% of the initial increase.
Investor response followed the announcement of Thunder, an autonomous hybrid-electric rotorcraft created in partnership with Anduril. Designed for military attack operations, cargo transport, and remote logistics tasks, the platform is slated for its maiden flight in 2027.
Archer later introduced Halo, its commercial iteration of the platform. Marubeni Aerospace was named as its strategic launch partner. The arrangement is focused on market research, exploring use cases, and a possible future deployment. No specific details regarding the number of aircraft, pricing, or confirmed order value were provided.
| Company | July 24 close | Weekly move | Market value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Aviation NYSE:ACHR | $4.77 | up 7.4% | $3.66 billion |
| Joby Aviation NYSE:JOBY | $6.93 | down 4.1% | $6.54 billion |
| Eve Holding (NYSE:EVEX) | $2.29 | up 5.0% | $0.80 billion |
Weekly changes are based on closing prices from July 17 and July 24. Market capitalizations are as of Friday’s close.
Archer outperformed Joby by 11.6 percentage points for the week and exceeded Eve’s performance by 2.4 points. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.1%. The gains did not reflect a general air-taxi sector surge.
Anduril has recognized a clear military requirement, Chief Executive Adam Goldstein said. “They identified a need, and we built a very specific aircraft for that need,” he told Reuters. Reuters
Archer’s expansion remains backed by its balance sheet. As of March 31, the company reported $1.7759 billion in cash, equivalents and short-term investments, representing 48.6% of its $3.66 billion market capitalisation as of Friday.
Archer Aviation reported $149.1 million in operating cash outflows for the first quarter, with capital expenditures contributing an additional $32.6 million. Combined, the total represented 10.2% of cash and investment holdings at the end of the quarter.
Archer expects an adjusted EBITDA loss between $170 million and $200 million for the second quarter, based on its preliminary estimates. The midpoint of $185 million represents 10.4% of its liquid assets as of March. Adjusted EBITDA differs from cash burn.
The buffer allows Archer to focus on obtaining certification and defense contracts. It also increases the importance of binding deals compared to partnership disclosures.
As trading reopens Monday, investors will focus on those economic indicators. Archer anticipates announcing additional Halo partners and incremental government contract wins. A firm order would be seen as more significant than simply naming another launch partner.
Risks are still elevated. Delays in certification, an extended award process, or quicker cash burn may undermine the defense premium. Archer reported first-quarter revenue of only $1.6 million.
Archer finished the week outperforming its nearest publicly traded competitors. The pullback from a 62% surge illustrates that further gains depend on contract announcements rather than unveiling another aircraft.
Related articles: NYSE:ACHR
