

Investor's Corner
Rivian’s initial stock coverage highlights the potential of the EV sector
Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) has received its first bit of initial stock coverage from several highlighted electric vehicle sector analysts. The potential for Rivian’s stock, according to the two analysts, indicates the widespread potential of the EV sector as a whole, regardless of the company. EV stocks are becoming one of the most highly-invested holdings available, driving valuations, and potential price targets for relatively unestablished companies through the roof, simply based on the astronomical potential each company holds to change the automotive industry and accelerate the adoption of EVs.
Both Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities and Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Rivian stock within the past few days. Ives, who holds relatively bullish outlooks on several tech stocks, including one of the highest 12-month outlooks on Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) on the Street, is also relatively bullish on Rivian stock. Ives and Wedbush initiated coverage with a $130 price target and an “Overweight” rating on Rivian, stating that the company “is a stalwart EV startup focusing on redefining the sports utility vehicle with their innovative R1S and R1T models. Rivian is in the catbird’s seat around EV pickups and SUVs.”
Rivian is the first company in the automotive sector to launch an all-electric pickup, beating Tesla, GMC, and Ford. Tesla’s Cybertruck, GMC’s Hummer EV, and Ford’s F-150 Lightning are highly anticipated, but Rivian has the accolade of being the first to launch a pickup, which could put the automaker in prime position to command the electric pickup sector, as long as it can solve some of the shortcomings related to range degradation that have been reported previously. Additionally, Rivian is still working to solve production ramp issues in its Normal, Illinois factory. These issues are not uncommon for newly-established car companies. Building vehicles is hard, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, told Rivian and Lucid that ramping manufacturing is difficult.
On top of Ives coverage, Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley launched Rivian coverage as well with an “Overweight” rating and a $147 price target. Jonas lists Rivian’s R1T pickup as a “compelling product” and believes the company could be the most well-suited to challenge Tesla for market domination. The R1T gives Jonas the impression that it is “the most capable/desirable product in the market.”
Interestingly, Jonas believes that Rivian’s partnership with Amazon could yield results that are much quicker than projected. Currently, the two companies have an agreement for Rivian to supply Amazon with 100,000 all-electric delivery trucks by 2030. Jonas said in a note to investors that the 100,000 figure is “a stale number” and believes around 300,000 units of Rivian’s all-electric delivery vehicle will make their way to Amazon by 2026.
Ives holds a 72% success rate and an average return of 34.8%. He is ranked 31st out of 7,727 analysts on TipRanks. Jonas holds a 57% success rate with an average return of 14.5%. He is ranked 465 out of 7,727 analysts on TipRanks.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder. He does not hold RIVN stock.
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Investor's Corner
Tesla welcomes Chipotle President Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors
Tesla announced the addition of its new director in a post on social media platform X.

Tesla has welcomed Chipotle president Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors. Hartung will officially start his tenure at the electric vehicle maker on June 1, 2025.
Tesla announced the addition of its new director in a post on social media platform X.
Jack Hartung’s Role
With Hartung’s addition, the Tesla Board will now have nine members. It’s been a while since the company added a new director. Prior to Hartung, the last addition to the Tesla Board was Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia back in 2022. As noted in a Reuters report, Hartung will serve on the Tesla Board’s audit committee. He will also retire from his position as president and chief strategy officer at Chipotle, and transition into a senior advisor’s role at the restaurant chain, next month.
Hartung has had a long career in the Mexican grill, joining Chipotle in 2002. He held several positions in the company, most recently serving as Chipotle’s President and Chief Strategy Officer. Tesla highlighted Hartung’s accomplishments in a post on its official account on X.
“Over the past 20+ years under Jack’s financial leadership, Chipotle has seen significant growth with over 3,700 restaurants today across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Jack was named ‘CFO of the Year’ by Orange County Business Journal and Best CFO in the restaurant category by Institutional Investor,” Tesla wrote in its post on X.
Tesla Board and Musk
Tesla is a controversial company with a controversial CEO, so it is no surprise that the Board of Directors tend to get flak as well. Two weeks ago, for example, Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm slammed The Wall Street Journal for publishing an article alleging that company directors had considered a search for a potential successor to Elon Musk. Denholm herself has also been criticized for offloading her TSLA shares.
More recently, news emerged suggesting that the Tesla Board of Directors had formed a special committee aimed at exploring a new pay package for CEO Elon Musk. The committee is reportedly comprised of Tesla board Chair Robyn Denholm and independent director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, and they would be exploring alternative compensation methods for Musk’s contributions to the company.
Investor's Corner
Rivian stock rises as analysts boost price targets post Q1 earnings
Rivian impressed with smaller-than-expected losses & strong revenue, pushing analysts to raise price targets.

Rivian stock is gaining traction as Wall Street analysts raise price targets following the electric vehicle (EV) maker’s first-quarter earnings report. Despite a dip after the announcement, optimism surrounds Rivian’s cost control and upcoming lower-priced cars.
Last week, Rivian reported a better-than-expected Q1 gross profit, surpassing Wall Street’s forecasts with adjusted losses of $0.48 per share against expectations of $0.92 per share. The company also reported a revenue of $1.24 billion compared to the $1.01 billion anticipated.
However, the EV automaker cut its 2025 delivery forecast and capital spending due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It explained that it is “not immune to the impacts of the global trade and economic environment.” RIVN stock dropped nearly 6% post-earnings, closing at $12.72 per share.
Wall Street remains upbeat about Rivian, citing progress toward launching lower-priced vehicles in 2026 and effective cost management. On Monday, Stifel analyst Stephen Gengaro raised his RIVN price target to $18 from $16, maintaining a “Buy” rating. He highlighted Rivian’s “solid progress” toward key milestones.
Conversely, Bernstein’s Daniel Roeska gave RIVN a “Sell” rating. However, Roeska also lifted his Rivian price target to $7.05 from $6.10, acknowledging “better” Q1 results. He warned that profitability remains distant and hinges on multiple product launches by the decade’s end.
Overall, Wall Street’s average price target for RIVN climbed from $14.18 to $14.31, a modest 13-cent increase reflecting positive sentiment. About one-third of analysts covering Rivian rate it a Buy, compared to the S&P 500’s average Buy-rating ratio of 55%.
On Monday, Rivian stock rose 2.7% to $14.64, slightly trailing the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, which gained 3.3% and 2.8%, respectively. The uptick may also stem from broader market gains tied to news of a temporary U.S.-China tariff suspension.
As Rivian navigates trade challenges and scales production at its Illinois factory, its Q1 performance and analyst support signal resilience. With lower-priced EVs on the horizon, Rivian’s strategic moves could bolster its position in the competitive EV market, offering investors cautious optimism for long-term growth.
Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) poised to hit $1 trillion valuation again amid reports of Trump China deal
TSLA stock was up about 8% at $322.56 per share on Monday’s premarket.

Tesla shares (NASDAQ:TSLA) are on a tear on Monday’s premarket amidst reports that the United States and China have agreed to significantly roll back tariffs on each other’s goods for an initial 90-day period.
As of writing, the premarket price of TSLA shares suggests that the electric vehicle maker might end Monday with a $1 trillion valuation once more.
Tesla and China
TSLA stock was up about 8% at $322.56 per share on Monday’s premarket. As noted in a report from Barron’s, these prices suggest that the company could achieve a trillion-dollar valuation again, a level not seen since late February. Similar to Tesla, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were also up 2.8% and 2.1%, respectively, on Monday’s premarket.
The United States and China’s decision to roll back its tariffs would likely be appreciated by CEO Elon Musk. Despite working for the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and despite Tesla being least affected by the Trump administration’s tariffs due to its strong domestic supply chains in the United States, China, and Europe, Musk has noted that he is a supporter of non-predatory tariffs.
The United States and China’s Agreement
In a joint statement from the United States and China posted on the White House’s official website, the two countries agreed to lower reciprocal tariffs on each other by 115% for 90 days. This means that the United States will temporarily lower its overall tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, as noted in an ABC 12 report. China, on the other hand, will also lower its tariffs on American goods from 125% to 10%.
The talks were led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, as per the joint statement. Bessent shared his thoughts about the matter in a comment in Geneva. “The consensus from both delegations is neither side wants to be decoupled, and what have occurred with these very high tariffs … was an equivalent of an embargo, and neither side wants that. We do want trade. We want more balance in trade. And I think both sides are committed to achieving that,” he said.
A spokesperson from China’s Commerce Ministry also shared a statement about the matter. As per the spokesperson, the deal was an “important step by both sides to resolve differences through equal-footing dialogue and consultation, laying the groundwork and creating conditions for further bridging gaps and deepening cooperation.”
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