Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Given New $103.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley lowered its Rocket Lab price target from $105 to $103 but maintained an Overweight rating, implying about 54% upside from the article’s cited share price.
• Analyst views are mixed: MarketBeat reports a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and $99 average target, while individual firms range from Buy to Sell.
• Rocket Lab’s quarterly loss was wider than expected at $0.12 per share, though revenue of $267.83 million exceeded estimates; analysts also flag Neutron’s delayed first launch, expected no earlier than 2027.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $103.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the rocket manufacturer's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price points to a potential upside of 53.86% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Rocket Lab from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 31st. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Rocket Lab from $120.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rocket Lab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $99.00.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RKLB traded up $4.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $66.94. 14,766,073 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,776,660. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -186.56 and a beta of 3.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.68. The company has a quick ratio of 4.98, a current ratio of 5.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Rocket Lab has a 52 week low of $37.57 and a 52 week high of $151.00.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $267.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $257.21 million. Rocket Lab had a negative net margin of 25.73% and a negative return on equity of 7.71%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rocket Lab will post -0.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rocket Lab news, CFO Adam C. Spice sold 140,157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total value of $7,398,888.03. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,155,967 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,023,497.93. This trade represents a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Frank Klein sold 35,558 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.61, for a total value of $2,368,518.38. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 925,737 shares in the company, valued at $61,663,341.57. This represents a 3.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 551,832 shares of company stock worth $34,940,037. 8.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rocket Lab

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Rocket Lab by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,049 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 7.1% during the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 4.0% during the first quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 3.5% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,644 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DMC Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Rocket Lab by 5.0% during the second quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. 71.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Top Rocket Lab Stories

These are some of the RKLB stories that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: ARK Invest reportedly bought about $3.4 million of Rocket Lab shares, while a separate analysis noted that SpaceX’s reported pause in booking Falcon 9 rideshare missions beyond late 2028 could tighten launch supply. Rocket Lab has secured eight Neutron missions worth roughly $515 million, with several priced at a $70 million base rate. Cathie Wood Just Bought $3.4 Million of This Surging Space Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham lowered its price target to $100 but retained a Buy rating; BTIG maintained a Hold rating, reflecting continued optimism about growth alongside concerns about execution and valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: The quarter’s $0.12-per-share loss was wider than expected, and Neutron’s first launch is not expected before 2027. Those concerns, along with ongoing development costs, have prompted some analysts to cut targets and could weigh on sentiment despite strong sales and backlog growth. Rocket Lab's Record Backlog Could Fuel a Rebound, But Neutron Raises the Stakes

Rocket Lab Company Profile

Rocket Lab is a space company that provides launch services and spacecraft and satellite systems for commercial, civil, and national security customers. Founded in 2006 by Peter Beck, the company operates internationally, with headquarters in Long Beach, California, and launch operations in New Zealand and the United States. Its launch business centers on Electron, a small orbital rocket designed to carry satellites to space, and HASTE, a suborbital vehicle used for hypersonic test missions. Rocket Lab is also developing Neutron, a larger launch vehicle.

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