Joby Sinks 9% as Barclays Cuts to Underweight, Archer Climbs 5% on Overweight Call; EHang Rises 5%

Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY | JOBY Price Prediction) stock is at $5.26, down 9% in early trading after Barclays cut its rating on the shares to Underweight. Meanwhile, Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR) stock is at $4.95, up 5%, climbing as the same bank turned bullish on the rival air taxi maker, according to Barclays. A single firm taking opposite views on two companies building the same kind of aircraft is pulling apart a pair of stocks that typically track each other.

At the same time, EHang Holdings (NASDAQ:EH) stock is at $4.28, up 5%, rising alongside Archer stock even though the China-based company answers to a different regulator, according to Barclays. That leaves two of the three air taxi names higher, with Joby stock the lone decliner.

To separate a sector judgment from a company-specific one, the broader funds offer a useful check. The ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (CBOE:ARKQ) is up 0.9%, a modest gain for a fund that holds both Joby and Archer. Across the wider market, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) is up 0.5%.

Barclays Splits Its Air Taxi Calls

Both moves arrived before the open, as Barclays shifted across the two names. On Joby, Barclays downgraded the shares to Underweight and cut its price target to $4, a rating that signals expected underperformance. For Archer, Barclays assumed coverage at Overweight while raising its price target on the shares to $8, a call that flags expected outperformance.

The downgrade targets the gap between Joby’s cash burn and an aircraft that still isn’t certified. When Barclays turns bearish on one aircraft builder and bullish on another at once, the two stocks stop moving as a pair.

Blade Revenue and Defense Work Set the Rivals Apart

Joby’s operating revenue comes mainly from Blade, a conventional helicopter service that already sells seats, while the electric aircraft at the center of its certification effort has yet to become the main source of sales. Archer, by comparison, has been pushing into defense work alongside its commercial certification program.

Both companies remain pre-revenue on their core aircraft, so a rating change lands harder on them than on a company with product revenue.

EHang sits in a different position. Because the company already operates commercially in China under its own regulator, a U.S. analyst call on certification risk doesn’t read across to it. Its gain stands apart from the Barclays calls.

Joby’s Funded Cushion Frames the Bull Case

Joby’s appeal rests on a funded balance sheet and Blade, an operating service generating real revenue while it certifies. Pre-revenue aircraft stories like this one tend to belong in the speculative arm of a portfolio, with sizing rules spelled out in a free playbook here: Small Stakes, Big Swings.

At 9%, the decline in Joby stock is the largest move among the three names, while Archer and EHang shares are each up 5%. Such a gap between Joby shares and Archer shares shows how differently Barclays now views two companies chasing one market, and for Joby holders, the bear and bull arguments now depend on the same certification timeline.

What to Watch Next

Certification progress and cash spending remain the key variables for both Joby and Archer. The focus turns to whether Joby’s certification work narrows the gap Barclays flagged between its burn rate and an approved aircraft.

For Archer, the open question is whether its defense push and commercial program together support the more optimistic Barclays view. Shareholders could look for signs that EHang stock keeps trading on its own China-based story regardless of U.S. analyst calls.

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