Where Will Archer Aviation Stock Be in 3 Years?

Will Ebiefung, The Motley Fool

Sun, Jun 8, 2025, 7:33 AM 5 min read

• A short-seller has published a report that claims Archer Aviation is misleading investors.

• The young maker of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft has an adequate cash cushion and a major automaker as a manufacturing partner.

• 10 stocks we like better than Archer Aviation ›

Makers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) aim to revolutionize the transportation industry by allowing people to literally fly above urban traffic on short-haul routes. Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) is an early mover in the air taxi space, and with its market cap at just $5.83 billion now, new investors can still get in early on what could be an exciting long-term growth opportunity.

That said, potential rewards often correlate with potential risk in the stock market. And in late May, a report from short-seller Culper Research cast doubts about the quality of Archer Aviation's communications with investors and the public. Remember that short-sellers make money when a stock falls. 

On May 20, Culper Research published a report titled "Archer Aviation (ACHR): When You Can’t Earn Airtime in the Sky, Buy it on Late Night Television" and featuring an image of Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein alongside Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Culper Research claims the company "systematically misled" investors about its progress toward developing and testing its flagship Midnight aircraft. The report cites examples from employee emails, photos, and public statements that the short-seller believes contradict Archer Aviation's claims about the progress of its eVTOL program.

The stock didn't immediately drop after the report, but was down about 18% from the close of trading May 19 to the close on June 5. Archer's management fired back in a statement, dismissing the claims as "baseless" and questioning Culper's credibility.

Short-sellers profit when the price of a stock that they have shorted goes down, which gives them an incentive to present such a company's situation as negatively as possible. That gives me pause about the Culper report. Furthermore, even if Archer Aviation is overselling the progress of its eVTOL program, that's par for the course for speculative tech companies. For example, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has frequently made projections about timelines and projects (such as self-driving) that have rarely played out the way he said they would. Expectations of some exaggerations and delays are likely already priced into Archer Aviation's stock.