Joby Aviation Up 5% Out of Holiday Pause; 2026 Brings New Test

26 May 2026

NEW YORK, May 26, 2026, 16:05 (EDT)

Joby Aviation climbed 5.6% to $11.53 in late trading Tuesday, outpacing some other electric air-taxi names as U.S. markets reopened after the holiday. A real-time estimate from Cboe BZX had JOBY up 5.59% just after 4 p.m. New York time.

NYSE shows May 25, Memorial Day, as a market holiday in 2026. The regular trading day is still set for 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Tuesday kicked off the first cash equities session of this short week.

Joby’s newsroom page offered nothing new on the rally. The most recent post was about sustainability on May 15, and the last financial update was the May 5 Q1 results. Traders saw no fresh updates, sticking with what’s already known on certification, cash, and commercialization.

Tech lifted the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to just below records on Tuesday, Reuters said. Chip stocks were strong again. Joby’s jump outpaced the rest, but the market is back on growth and spec names after the holiday.

Joby remains a certification and cash play. The company, working on an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), reported in its first quarter filing that its first FAA-conforming aircraft has flown. Joby also said it finished the third out of four major FAA certification steps and closed March holding $2.5 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments. Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said Joby now has “the clearest path” it’s ever had for starting passenger operations. SEC

Bevirt, on the May 5 call, put the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program — which has White House backing — front and center. He said the program “paves the way for us to bring our aircraft and service directly to U.S. communities this year ahead of FAA type certification.” He called the OTA agreements in place flexible contracts for research and development. In practice, these let agencies and companies test operations before full commercial approval. Investing.com

The company has actual flight testing underway, not just demo flights. Reuters said in March that Joby started flight tests on its first production-model aircraft for Type Inspection Authorization, which is needed for FAA certification testing. This aircraft has six rotors, room for a pilot and four passengers, and is built to take off vertically, then shift to forward flight.

Bear risks aren’t hidden. Canaccord’s Austin Moeller lowered his Joby price target to $11.50 from $15.50 after Q1, sticking with a Hold, which isn’t a buy call. The firm cited management’s 2026 revenue goals and cash-use guidance for the first half, and said there’s FAA test progress. With Joby trading where it is Tuesday, that target doesn’t allow much space for any setbacks or a tougher funding setup.

Joby worth noting in mixed peer trading. Archer Aviation climbed around 2.0%, Vertical Aerospace was up about 1.5%. EHang dropped about 2.6% late in the day. That doesn’t point to a clear Joby-specific buyer but makes it hard to say Tuesday was just a group air-taxi move.

For the stock, what’s next looks less like another shiny launch and more about permits, dates, and cash flow. Investors will be hunting for proof that certification, early U.S. flights, and infrastructure can all advance without draining the balance sheet quicker than planned. Joby’s shares can stay volatile on each milestone — and even more so if there’s a delay.

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Khadija Saeed is a financial markets reporter at TS2.tech. Her coverage ranges from stocks and technology to emerging industries and developments across global markets. She studied economics and finance at the London School of Economics and worked in market research before becoming a financial journalist. Follow Khadija Saeed on Google News.

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