If You'd Invested $1,000 in Rivian Stock 3 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

So you've wanted to invest in the electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN), but you haven't gotten around to it. In fact, you've wanted to invest in it for about three years. If you had invested in Rivian three years ago, how would you have done?

Here's the answer to that question.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. See the 10 stocks »

Image source: Getty Images.

Three years ago, in mid-December 2021, shares of Rivian were trading for around $115 apiece. Let's say that you invested in Rivian then, with $1,000. That would have gotten you close to nine shares. (Did you know that with lots of good brokerages, you can buy not only single shares, but fractions of shares of stocks?)

Fast-forward to today, and how much will your investment have grown? Well, as of this writing, shares of Rivian have plunged some 87% over the past three years. That would turn your $1,000 investment into... about $125. Ouch.

What's going on with Rivian? The maker of electric pickup trucks has faced some challenges. One issue might be that it currently offers only two models, each priced around $100,000. That's steep for most folks. Rivian is also not yet profitable, which isn't ideal for investors.

Since a simple investment in a low-fee S&P 500 index fund is best for many, if not most, people, how would you have done plunking that $1,000 in the S&P 500 instead of investing in Rivian? Well, you'd be up about 33%, turning your $1,000 into $1,326. That's an average annual gain of almost 10%.

Data source: Calculations by author.

Clearly, you can grow your money rather powerfully without speculating on risky stocks. If you do want to invest in stocks such as Rivian, be sure to not put too many eggs in each of those baskets.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $338,103!*
• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $48,005!*
• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $495,679!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See 3 “Double Down” stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of December 16, 2024

Selena Maranjian has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.