Why Did Nio Stock Jump 10% Today?

By Howard Smith – Mar 10, 2026 at 11:10AM ESTKey PointsNio exceeded its own recent profit estimate in the fourth quarter. The company also delivered strong Q1 guidance. Investors should keep an eye on executive compensation. Shares of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio (NIO +8.50%) shot 10.5% higher at the market open and were still up by 10.1% as of 10:45 a.m. ET. Investors liked what the company had to say in its fourth-quarter report. Last month, the company surprised investors by saying it expected its first-ever adjusted profit from operations in the fourth quarter. The $100 million to $172 million range was particularly strong, and Nio ended up beating the high end of it. Image source: Getty Images. Nio achieves first profit It wasn't just the $178.9 million in adjusted profit from operations that had investors excited. In fact, the company achieved a slight net profit of $40.4 million in Q4. That result was fueled by increased sales volume, an optimized product mix, and lower research and development expenses. ExpandNYSE: NIONioToday's Change(8.50%) $0.42Current Price$5.36Key Data PointsMarket Cap$10BDay's Range$5.08 - $5.5052wk Range$3.02 - $8.02Volume4.4MAvg Vol42MGross Margin11.25% Nio also told investors to expect revenue to double year over year in the current quarter. Vehicle deliveries should also increase by more than 90% compared to the prior year period. The strong results led Citigroup analyst Jeff Chung to note that new models are coming soon, and future expenses can continue to drop as battery costs decline. He has a price target of $6.20 on the shares, according to Barron's. That represents 25% upside from Monday's closing price. Investors should keep an eye on executive compensation, though. The company's board of directors approved a large 2026 stock incentive plan for founder and CEO William Li. The grant of more than 248 million shares, valued at up to $1.2 billion, will depend on meeting specific performance targets related to the stock's valuation and net profits. Read NextMar 5, 2026 •By Leo Sun2 EV Stocks to Buy in MarchMar 4, 2026 •By Howard SmithStock Market Today, March 4: Nio Rises After Deliveries Surpass 1 Million VehiclesMar 2, 2026 •By Leo SunHow Buying Nio Stock Today Could 10x Your Net WorthFeb 23, 2026 •By Howard SmithStock Market Today, Feb. 23: Nio Jumps on Record Lunar New Year Battery SwapsFeb 15, 2026 •By Daniel MillerNio Touts First Adjusted Profit -- Here's What It Isn't SayingFeb 15, 2026 •By Daniel MillerBetter Buy: Should Investors Own Lucid, Nio, or Neither?About the AuthorHoward Smith is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering technology and industrial stocks. Prior to The Motley Fool, Howard spent nearly 30 years supervising quality and operations in the steel industry, mostly with leading steel company Nucor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from Lafayette College and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University.TMFBuilt2LastStocks MentionedNioNYSE: NIO$5.36(+8.50%)+$0.42CitigroupNYSE: C$109.82(+3.03%)+$3.23*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.