Rocket Lab's (RKLB) "Mixed" Rating Reaffirmed at Cantor Fitzgerald

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed its “mixed” rating on Rocket Lab and maintained a $122 price target, implying substantial upside from the stock’s reported $52.49 price.
• Rocket Lab shares fell 11.3% to $52.49, while the company reported a quarterly loss of $0.08 per share—worse than the $0.06 consensus estimate—despite revenue of $234.07 million exceeding expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and $104.05 target price; however, the company faces execution and cash-burn concerns tied to the delayed Neutron rocket program, recent equity issuance, and insider stock sales.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "mixed" rating restated by investment analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $122.00 price objective on the rocket manufacturer's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price objective indicates a potential upside of 132.44% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Rocket Lab in a research note on Friday, September 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Roth Capital set a $110.00 target price on Rocket Lab in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. KGI Securities raised Rocket Lab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $107.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Rocket Lab from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Friday, October 9th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rocket Lab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.05.

Rocket Lab Stock Down 11.3%

Shares of NASDAQ RKLB traded down $6.69 on Thursday, reaching $52.49. 30,497,029 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,996,775. Rocket Lab has a 12 month low of $37.57 and a 12 month high of $151.00. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $69.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.33. The company has a market cap of $31.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -195.44 and a beta of 2.93. 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 (NASDAQ:RKLB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.02). Rocket Lab had a negative net margin of 21.51% and a negative return on equity of 6.48%. The business had revenue of $234.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $231.62 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rocket Lab will post -0.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Frank Klein sold 35,558 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.61, for a total transaction of $2,368,518.38. Following the transaction, the insider 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Agostino Ricupati sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total transaction of $46,582.47. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 26,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,870,470.69. This trade represents a 2.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 400,749 shares of company stock valued at $26,964,474. Company insiders own 8.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors bought a new position in Rocket Lab during the third quarter valued at approximately $446,000. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 2.4% during the third quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,816 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 3.0% during the third quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 26,402 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. Sanders Morris Harris LLC lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 7.1% during the third quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC now owns 47,078 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $3,479,000 after purchasing an additional 3,138 shares during the period. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 17.5% during the third quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.78% of the company's stock.

Rocket Lab News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Rocket Lab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $90 price target, while Roth Capital maintained a Buy rating with a $110 target. Analysts argue that prioritizing reliability and correcting the manufacturing issue could support Neutron’s long-term prospects. Roth Capital Neutron analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Rocket Lab continues to benefit from strong demand for launch and space systems, including its Electron and HASTE programs. Recent financial information cited approximately $234 million in second-quarter revenue, up about 62% year over year, alongside a substantial backlog and expanding government and defense activity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald retained a mixed rating but set a $122 price target, suggesting significant longer-term upside if Rocket Lab executes. KeyBanc also advised investors not to panic, though these targets depend heavily on successful Neutron development. Analyst view on Rocket Lab
• Negative Sentiment: Rocket Lab moved Neutron’s maiden flight from the fourth quarter of 2026 to 2027 after identifying manufacturing problems in a forward propellant dome on the first-stage tank. The delay extends the timeline for revenue generation, increases development and cash-burn concerns, and raises questions about program execution. Reuters Neutron launch delay report
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also weighing recent equity issuance related to the planned Iridium acquisition, lower projected gross margins, and reported insider selling. These factors add dilution and financing overhang to an already volatile, unprofitable stock.

Rocket Lab Company Profile

Rocket Lab USA, Inc is a space and launch company that provides launch services, spacecraft, satellite components and other space systems for commercial, civil and national-security customers. The company designs and manufactures many of its products in-house, supporting missions from initial spacecraft development through launch and on-orbit operations.

Rocket Lab's primary launch vehicle is Electron, a small-lift rocket designed to place satellites into low Earth orbit. The company also operates the HASTE suborbital test platform for hypersonic and other advanced aerospace technologies and is developing Neutron, a larger reusable rocket intended to serve commercial and government missions.