Lucid Tanks 10%: Is a Saudi PIF Buyout the Only Way Out for This Struggling EV Maker?

David MoadelThu, April 23, 2026 at 6:01 PM UTC

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Courtesy of Lucid GroupQuick Read -

Lucid Group (LCID) shares fell to $6.22 on speculation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) could take the company private, with the PIF controlling 58% and having invested $9.5B since 2018.

The PIF faces a binary choice between absorbing more dilutive capital alongside public shareholders or taking Lucid private to avoid quarterly scrutiny, with a full buyout looking economically cleaner at the depressed market cap relative to its sunk-cost investment.

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Shares of Lucid Group (NASDAQ:LCID) are down roughly 10% in midday trading Thursday, slipping to $6.22 from a prior close of $6.91. The slide puts the struggling EV maker's market capitalization at roughly $2.31 billion, hovering just above its 52-week low of $6.75.

The catalyst is fresh speculation that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Lucid's majority shareholder, could take the company private. Investors are split on whether a full buyout would be a rescue or a raw deal at these depressed levels.

The PIF already controls roughly 58% of Lucid's outstanding shares and has invested $9.5 billion since 2018. With the market cap now a fraction of that commitment, the economics of a full takeover look cleaner than another round of dilutive capital raises.

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Capital Raise and Cash Burn Fuel the Nerves

Lucid just completed roughly $1.05 billion in fresh funding, including a $300 million public offering, an additional $200 million from Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) (bringing its total commitment to $500 million), and $550 million from PIF affiliate Ayar Third Investment Company. The raise extends liquidity, but it deepens the dilution overhang that already haunts the stock.

The financial backdrop explains the unease. Lucid reported a Q4 2025 loss of $3.08 per share, missing EPS estimates by 43%, and burned through $1.24 billion in free cash flow during the quarter alone.

Lucid Group's full-year 2025 free cash flow came in at negative $3.8 billion, and shareholders' equity collapsed from $3.87 billion to $717 million year over year. Management says liquidity, roughly $4.6 billion, runs into the first half of 2027. Yet analysts warn that "more dilutive capital may be needed" before Lucid reaches gross margin breakeven.

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The Uber Deal and the PIF Takeout Math

The bull case centers on optionality. Uber now owns roughly 12% of Lucid after its $500 million investment and has committed to purchase 35,000 vehicles for a robotaxi fleet, giving Lucid a long-dated demand anchor it didn't have a year ago.

For the PIF, the path forward is essentially binary. It can keep absorbing capital calls alongside public shareholders, or it can buy the float and restructure privately without quarterly scrutiny. At a $2.31 billion market cap, a takeout premium looks digestible against the fund's sunk cost.

The issue for some retail investors is price. Any deal struck near current levels would crystallize losses for holders who bought during the 2021 SPAC frenzy. The Street already sees Lucid stock's fair value well below a generous premium, with RBC cutting its target from $10 to $8 and TD Cowen trimming to $10 from $19.

What to Watch Next

Near-term catalysts for Lucid stock include the ramp of the midsize platform and the San Francisco robotaxi rollout with Uber and Nuro, both slated for this year. Any formal PIF statement on a take-private would instantly reprice the stock in either direction.

The bear case remains blunt for LCID stock. Lucid's cost of revenue still exceeds the company's revenue, Q1 deliveries missed badly at 3,093 vehicles versus an expected 5,237, and Lucid pre-announced Q1 2026 revenue of $280 to $284 million against a $433.8 million consensus. Operational execution is the overhang a buyout wouldn't fix overnight.

Watch for whether LCID stock can hold the $6.75 52-week low through the close. A break below that level opens the door to more forced selling, while a credible PIF headline could snap shares higher in a hurry. Position sizing matters here: the risk-reward is real, but so is the dilution math.

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Source: “AOL Money”