JOBY Stock Drops To Near Two-Year Lows After Barclays Downgrade On Manufacturing Capacity Doubts

• Barclays downgraded Joby Aviation to ‘Underweight’ with a $4 target due to cash burn concerns, while launching coverage on Archer Aviation at ‘Overweight’ with an $8 target. 
• Joby shares fell 9% to $5.26 in early trading, while Archer gained 5% to $4.95 at the time of writing. 
• Barclays highlighted key operational differences, including Archer’s military initiatives, and contrasted them with doubts about Joby’s ability to manufacture enough eVTOLs to meet demand. 

Shares of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developers traded in contrasting directions on Friday after Barclays published conflicting analyst notes on the sector’s primary competitors.

Joby Aviation Inc. (JOBY) fell sharply after Barclays downgraded its rating, while rival Archer Aviation Inc. (ACHR) climbed about 5% on a bullish note from Barclays.

Barclays Reevaluates Industry Prospects

A series of rating changes Barclays issued before the opening bell drove the shift in investor sentiment. Analysts downgraded Joby Aviation to an ‘Underweight’ rating and lowered its price target to $4 per share. In the note, Barclays cited market share concerns.

“Joby has communicated a certification target that implies it will be the first to receive certification for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft,” the analyst tells investors in a research note.  

At the same time, the firm noted that the electric aircraft sector is unlikely to have a single dominant player, raising doubts about whether Joby’s payload capabilities can meet broad demand. Barclays also expressed skepticism about the company’s current production scale and its ability to capture substantial market share after initial regulatory clearance.

Conversely, Barclays initiated coverage of peer Archer Aviation with an ‘Overweight’ rating and set a price target of $8. 

JOBY, ACHR Stock: Retail Reaction

The ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (ARKQ), which maintains holdings in both Joby and Archer, edged up 0.9% as Archer's gains offset Joby's decline. The broader SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) traded up 0.5% during the same session.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits was ‘neutral’ for ACHR stock and ‘extremely bullish’ on JOBY stock, with ‘high’ message volumes. 

JOBY stock has lost 61% year-to-date, and ACHR stock slipped 37% during the same period. 

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