Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN) finished Tuesday’s session lower and was little changed after the closing bell—setting up a holiday-shortened Wednesday where timing, liquidity, and macro headlines may matter as much as company-specific news.
Below is what moved the stock after the bell on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, what analysts and outlets published today, and what investors may want on their radar before the U.S. market opens Wednesday, Dec. 24.
Rivian stock after hours: where RIVN stands after Tuesday’s closing bell
Rivian shares ended Tuesday around $21.18, down roughly 2.6% versus the prior close, after trading between roughly $20.70 and $21.83 during the session. Trading volume was elevated in the context of a holiday week, with feeds showing roughly ~39 million shares traded.
In the extended session immediately after the close, RIVN was essentially flat, with the latest after-hours quote still hovering around $21.18 as of a late update (01:15 UTC / 8:15 p.m. ET).
Context matters: Rivian is coming into the final week of December near the top of its 52-week range (roughly $10.36–$22.69), so even a “quiet” after-hours tape can reflect investors digesting a fast-moving month.
What drove Rivian today: a pullback day amid a bigger autonomy-and-R2 rerating
There was no single Rivian earnings release or headline on Tuesday that clearly explains the day’s drift. Instead, today’s coverage points to a market that is re-pricing Rivian’s 2026 story—then taking profits and recalibrating near-term risk.
1) Analyst price targets moved up — but Wall Street is still split
A major theme in today’s reporting was another wave of analyst commentary, including multiple firms lifting price targets:
- Wedbush (Dan Ives): maintained an outperform-style stance and raised the target to $25
- Baird: upgraded Rivian and raised the target to $25
- Goldman Sachs: maintained a neutral view and raised the target to $16
- Needham: maintained a buy rating and raised the target to $23 [1]
That widening spread—$16 on the cautious end vs. $25 on the bullish end—helps explain why RIVN can be a volatile tape even when “news flow” feels light: the market is debating whether the recent narrative shift deserves a sustained rerating now, or later.
2) Options activity also drew attention
Benzinga also published an options-focused piece Tuesday highlighting “whale” activity in RIVN contracts. While options-flow articles shouldn’t be treated as fundamentals, they can matter into a shortened session because hedging and gamma effects can amplify intraday moves when liquidity thins. [2]
3) The broader market rose — but macro signals were mixed
U.S. stocks broadly finished higher Tuesday, with reports noting the S&P 500 closed at a record and the Nasdaq also gained. [3]
At the same time, big-picture economic headlines were not uniformly upbeat:
- Consumer confidence weakened in December, according to the Conference Board data covered by Reuters. [4]
- Reuters also highlighted October durable goods and business investment-related data (released after a delay tied to the earlier government shutdown), which investors often use to gauge growth momentum. [5]
For EV makers, these macro cross-currents matter because demand and valuations are both highly sensitive to rates, consumer sentiment, and growth expectations.
Today’s Rivian narrative: autonomy, custom silicon, and the R2 “inflection year” thesis
Rivian’s December rally has been closely tied to a shift in how investors talk about the company: less “pure EV manufacturer,” more “software + autonomy + vertical integration.”
Rivian’s autonomy push and custom chip are central to the bullish case
Reuters coverage of Rivian’s Autonomy & AI messaging this month has focused on three headline items:
- Rivian’s custom self-driving chip (the “Rivian Autonomy Processor”)
- A new driver-assistance offering called Autonomy+, priced at $2,500 one-time or $49.99/month
- Plans to scale advanced functionality toward 2026, alongside the launch of the R2 platform in the first half of 2026 [6]
The Verge’s analysis framed this as a meaningful pivot toward an AI/autonomy roadmap—while noting the competitive and technical difficulty of delivering on autonomy at scale. [7]
Software updates keep reinforcing the “software-defined vehicle” story
Rivian’s recent over-the-air software cadence has also become part of the investment narrative. Electrek reported that Rivian’s 2025.46 update added features including Universal Hands-Free driving expansion and Digital Key functionality for certain owners, among other improvements. [8]
Even if a software update doesn’t directly change next quarter’s deliveries, it can influence how investors model long-term margin potential—especially if autonomy features evolve into subscription-like revenue.
Safety and recalls: an underappreciated near-term variable
While autonomy headlines are driving the upside narrative, recalls and safety-related fixes remain a real swing factor for any automaker—especially one scaling production and managing fleet relationships.
Rivian’s own support page, updated on Dec. 23, 2025, lists multiple recalls, including:
- A recall for 2022–2025 Rivian EDV (commercial delivery vans) tied to a seat belt pretensioner issue related to misuse, with an OTA detection update and inspections/replacements described as part of the remedy.
- Recall entries for certain 2025 R1S and R1T vehicles involving ADAS/software versions and other items. [9]
For investors, this matters for two reasons:
- Cost and brand risk (service campaigns can pressure margins), and
- Execution proof (Rivian increasingly uses software/OTA tools as part of remedies, which supports the “tech-forward” thesis when executed cleanly). [10]
Forecasts and price targets published today: why the “consensus” still points to downside
Despite the bullish upgrades making headlines, several widely-circulated summaries published Tuesday still show a cautious consensus.
- MarketBeat wrote Tuesday that Rivian remains unprofitable and cited a consensus “Hold” view and a consensus price target around $15.73, while also highlighting investor concerns about financing/cash needs and insider selling as recurring overhangs. [11]
- 24/7 Wall St. published a fresh forecast piece Tuesday listing a median one-year target around $16.22 and described a mixed Buy/Hold/Sell analyst breakdown—implying notable downside from Tuesday’s price levels. [12]
The key takeaway going into Wednesday: Rivian is being valued on 2026–2027 execution while still carrying 2025 “risk knobs” (cash burn, scale costs, demand uncertainty, and recall/service complexity). The stock can jump on long-term thesis reinforcement and still sell off on any sign of near-term friction.
What to know before the market opens Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025
Wednesday’s session is not a normal trading day—and that alone can shape how Rivian trades.
1) U.S. markets are open — but Dec. 24 is an early close
The NYSE holiday calendar indicates Christmas Eve is a 1:00 p.m. ET early close (and some related sessions close earlier than usual).
MarketWatch also reported that NYSE and Nasdaq will close at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 24, remain closed Dec. 25, and reopen Dec. 26 (with bonds closing earlier as well). [13]
Why it matters for RIVN: shortened sessions often bring thinner liquidity, which can make high-beta names (like EV makers) more reactive to headlines and order-flow.
2) A key pre-market macro release hits at 8:30 a.m. ET
Weekly U.S. initial jobless claims are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025—moved from the usual Thursday release because of the Christmas holiday. [14]
Even if Rivian has no company news overnight, jobless claims can move:
- Treasury yields
- growth-stock sentiment
- and the “risk-on/risk-off” tone that often affects EV names.
3) Practical watchlist for Rivian into the open
Going into Wednesday morning, the “what could move it fast” list for RIVN looks like this:
- Any new analyst notes (especially follow-ups to the $25 targets) [15]
- Any Rivian safety/recall updates (the company’s recall page was updated Tuesday) [16]
- Autonomy / software headlines (since the market is explicitly trading the autonomy monetization angle) [17]
- Jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET and the broader macro tone into a shortened session [18]
Bottom line for Rivian stock heading into Dec. 24
Rivian closed Tuesday (Dec. 23) around $21.18, down roughly 2.6%, and stayed nearly flat after hours—a “pause” that looks more like digestion than reversal after a headline-heavy December.
For Wednesday’s open, the setup is less about a single Rivian catalyst and more about how a high-volatility stock trades in a holiday-shortened session—with jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET and the market closing early at 1:00 p.m. ET. [19]
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
References
1. www.benzinga.com, 2. www.benzinga.com, 3. www.investors.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.theverge.com, 8. electrek.co, 9. rivian.com, 10. rivian.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com, 12. 247wallst.com, 13. www.marketwatch.com, 14. oui.doleta.gov, 15. www.benzinga.com, 16. rivian.com, 17. www.theverge.com, 18. oui.doleta.gov, 19. oui.doleta.gov
