New York, Feb 7, 2026, 06:51 EST — Market closed
NIO Inc. shares ended Friday up 7.23% at $5.04, beating the Nasdaq Composite’s 2.18% rise and the Dow’s 2.47% gain. Trading volume hit about 90.8 million shares, well above the stock’s 50-day average, though the ADR is still about 37% below its 52-week high. The jump followed Nio’s profit alert, which said it expects to swing to operating profit on an adjusted basis in the fourth quarter. 1
Nio said on Thursday it expects adjusted operating profit of 700 million yuan to 1.2 billion yuan ($100.84 million to $172.88 million) for the October-December period, compared with an adjusted operating loss of 5.54 billion yuan a year earlier. It said deliveries rose 72% in the quarter to 124,807 vehicles, helped by a more favorable product mix and cost cuts as China’s EV sector grinds through a price war. For 2025, Nio said it delivered 326,028 vehicles, up 47% from a year earlier. 2
The company defines the adjusted figure (a non-GAAP measure) as operating profit excluding share-based compensation, meaning stock awards to staff. It also expects GAAP operating profit — under standard accounting rules — of 200 million yuan to 700 million yuan for the quarter. But Nio said the numbers are preliminary and unaudited, and they could differ from the figures in its final fourth-quarter and full-year report.
That profit signal lands at a sensitive moment for China’s EV makers, with Tesla and local groups such as BYD and Xiaomi pressing the market on price and tech. Tim Hsiao, an automotive analyst at Morgan Stanley, said “any marginal sentiment improvement could lead to potential green shoots,” but a bigger recovery would likely wait for broader EV demand in China to revive. Investors will be looking for audited confirmation and 2026 guidance when the company releases its final results in March. 3
With U.S. markets closed on Saturday, attention turns to Monday’s session, when traders will test whether the rally can hold without another headline to lean on. Moves in Chinese EV names can flip fast when sentiment turns.
Beyond the open, investors will be watching the details behind the margin lift and how much of the profit swing comes from volume versus tighter costs. The bigger question is whether the company can keep the trajectory without giving it back through discounts.
Any stumble in the audited numbers, or cautious guidance, would put this week’s move back in play. The stock has lived through plenty of sharp rallies that did not stick.
Next up is Monday, Feb. 9, when U.S. markets reopen and Nio will face a fresh round of price discovery. Investors will also be watching for the company to publish its full fourth-quarter report and set out targets for 2026.
