Rivian stock is trending,but is it a buy?

Rivian Automotive (RIVN) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future.

Shares of this a manufacturer of motor vehicles and passenger cars have returned +30.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.7% change. The Zacks Automotive - Domestic industry, to which Rivian Automotive belongs, has gained 23.4% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making. Earnings Estimate Revisions Here at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock. We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. For the current quarter, Rivian Automotive is expected to post a loss of $0.67 per share, indicating a change of +50.7% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days. The consensus earnings estimate of -$4.03 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +17.4%. This estimate has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of -$2.48 indicates a change of +38.5% from what Rivian Automotive is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -1%. With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Rivian for complete article see