Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Shares Up 6.9% – Time to Buy?
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyRocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB – Get Free Report)’s stock price was up 6.9% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $92.55 and last traded at $94.0280. Approximately 11,625,550 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 28,332,824 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.98.
Rocket Lab News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Rocket Lab this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Successful Electron mission — Rocket Lab completed its first 2026 Electron launch, deploying two Open Cosmos satellites and demonstrating continued reliability and revenue delivery from small‑sat launches, which supports near‑term cash flow and customer trust. Rocket Lab Completes First 2026 Launch, Marks 80th Electron Mission
- Positive Sentiment: Company confirmation of mission success — Rocket Lab’s press release corroborates the launch success and underscores operational momentum for Electron, a core revenue stream while Neutron is developed. Rocket Lab Delivers Mission Success on First Launch of 2026 for New Customer: Open Cosmos
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support — Recent analyst upgrades and a Bank of America bullish forecast have lifted sentiment and give room for upside while investors price in Neutron’s optionality. Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Stock
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwinds — Market commentary shows space and defense stocks in favor amid a risk-on tape; that broader momentum helps RKLB but doesn’t change company‑specific execution risks. MarketBeat Week in Review – 01/19 – 01/23
- Negative Sentiment: Neutron Stage‑1 tank rupture — During a hydrostatic qualification test a Stage‑1 tank ruptured. Rocket Lab says there was no significant facility damage and the next tank is already in production, but the incident introduces timeline uncertainty for Neutron launches (key to medium‑lift revenue) and briefly pressured the stock. The company will update timing on its Q4 earnings call. Rocket Lab Neutron Test Update
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Rocket Lab from $63.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Rocket Lab from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded Rocket Lab from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.92.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab Trading Up 3.2%
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -238.83 and a beta of 2.16. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.62.
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $155.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $152.45 million. Rocket Lab had a negative return on equity of 27.26% and a negative net margin of 35.64%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 48.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.10) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.38 EPS for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, insider Frank Klein sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.95, for a total value of $7,295,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,169,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,314,076.65. The trade was a 7.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Adam C. Spice sold 1,365,665 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.50, for a total value of $103,107,707.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,359,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,647,384. The trade was a 50.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,306,150 shares of company stock valued at $271,865,732. 11.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RKLB. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Rocket Lab by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,809,723 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,003,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,127,565 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in Rocket Lab by 47.2% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 17,851,446 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $1,245,317,000 after purchasing an additional 5,725,536 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Rocket Lab by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,462,103 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $692,879,000 after buying an additional 1,242,547 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,399,571 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $594,063,000 after buying an additional 1,487,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,242,304 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $223,287,000 after buying an additional 2,504,054 shares during the last quarter. 71.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab is an aerospace company that provides launch services, spacecraft, and space systems for commercial and government customers. The company’s primary launch vehicle is Electron, a small-lift orbital rocket designed to deploy small satellites and rideshare payloads to low Earth orbit. Rocket Lab also develops and manufactures the Rutherford engine, noted for its electric-pump-fed design and additive-manufactured components, which powers Electron and supports the company’s propulsion capabilities.