Rivian slumps with full-year output below estimates

Rivian slumps with full-year output below estimates

The EV maker's forecast of producing up to 50,000 units fell short of expectations.

Rivian’s stock dropped more than 80% in 2022, making it the Nasdaq 100 Index’s second-worst performer last year. (AP pic)
NEW YORK:
Rivian Automotive Inc’s forecast to pump out as many as 50,000 electric vehicles this year fell short of Wall Street’s expectations, while its revenue missed estimates. The shares fell in late trading.

The EV maker reported US$663 million in revenue in the fourth quarter, according to a statement Tuesday — below the US$717 million analysts expected, according to the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company’s adjusted loss was US$1.87 per share, roughly in line with analysts’ forecasts.

The EV maker’s shares fell 7.5% at 5.29pm in late New York trading. Rivian’s stock fell more than 80% in 2022, making it the second-worst performer on the Nasdaq 100 Index last year.

“Supply chain continues to be the main limiting factor of our production; during the quarter we encountered multiple days of lost production due to supplier shortages,” the company said in a letter to shareholders. “We expect supply-chain challenges to persist into 2023 but with better predictability relative to what was experienced in 2022.”

Investors are looking to Rivian as a potential contender to market leader Tesla Inc. The upstart’s November 2021 public listing was the sixth-largest in US history and attracted backing from financial institutions like T. Rowe Price Group Inc in addition to Amazon.com Inc.

The company quickly hit problems as it tried to ramp up production amid parts shortages, and ultimately fell short of a target to build 25,000 EVs across three product lines: consumer plug-in pickups, sport utility vehicles and an electric delivery van for Amazon.

Rivian has stopped disclosing the number of net preorders for its consumer EVs but the tally stood at around 114,000 as of early November. Rivian says it still has a backlog of orders that extends into 2024.

Cash and cash equivalents stood at US$12.1 billion at the end of the quarter, down from around US$14 billion in the prior period ending Sept 30.

The electric-vehicle maker also said it expects a loss, excluding items such as interest and amortization, of US$4.3 billion for 2023. The company expects to achieve a gross profit in 2024.

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