Legal & General Group Plc Boosts Stock Position in Rocket Lab Corporation $RKLB

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its Rocket Lab stake by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 176,422 additional shares and bringing its holding to about 1.04 million shares valued at roughly $72.8 million.
• Rocket Lab’s latest quarter showed solid revenue growth: earnings matched expectations at -$0.07 per share, while revenue of $200.35 million topped estimates and rose 63.4% year over year.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors controlling 71.78% of the stock, while analysts currently rate Rocket Lab a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $97.19.

Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB - Free Report) by 20.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,043,737 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 176,422 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.20% of Rocket Lab worth $72,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of RKLB. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 114.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 174,308 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $3,117,000 after buying an additional 92,849 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 1,812.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 36,807 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $658,000 after buying an additional 34,882 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 53.8% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 15,745 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 5,507 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 13.3% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 773,548 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $13,831,000 after buying an additional 90,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 1.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 67,584 shares of the rocket manufacturer's stock worth $1,206,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.78% of the company's stock.

Rocket Lab Price Performance

Shares of Rocket Lab stock opened at $143.48 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.27. Rocket Lab Corporation has a 12 month low of $25.24 and a 12 month high of $151.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -448.38 and a beta of 2.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.47 and a quick ratio of 4.02.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07). Rocket Lab had a negative return on equity of 11.72% and a negative net margin of 26.87%.The business had revenue of $200.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $189.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.12) earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rocket Lab News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rocket Lab continues to benefit from optimism around its defense business, including progress on its SDA missile-defense constellation work and a reported milestone that helped push total defense awards above $1.3 billion. Rocket Lab Hits Key SDA Milestone, Expands Defense Footprint
• Positive Sentiment: The stock is also being lifted by broader enthusiasm for the space sector, with traders speculating that a potential SpaceX IPO could re-rate public space names and keep capital flowing into Rocket Lab. Is Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB) Among the Best Space Stocks to Buy According to Reddit and Social Media?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Rocket Lab’s improving revenue momentum and expanding role as a space-defense contractor, reinforcing the case for continued growth. Rocket Lab (RKLB) Stock Soars as Defense Contracts Surpass $1.3 Billion Milestone
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish articles framed Rocket Lab as a key “SpaceX alternative,” but much of that move appears driven by valuation expansion and theme trading rather than a single new operating catalyst. Rocket Lab (RKLB) Stock Price Forecast — Can the 115% Rally Continue?
• Negative Sentiment: Rocket Lab also faced pressure from a broader selloff in space stocks after Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a hotfire test, raising risk-off sentiment across the group. Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Erupts in Flames During Hotfire Test at Cape Canaveral
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment was further weighed by multiple insider sales disclosed this week, including transactions by senior executives, even though the sales were tied to 10b5-1 plans and tax withholding on equity awards. Arjun Kampani Insider Trading Activity

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on RKLB. Craig Hallum upgraded Rocket Lab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $98.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Rocket Lab in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up from $90.00) on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rocket Lab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.19.

Insider Transactions at Rocket Lab

In other Rocket Lab news, CFO Adam C. Spice sold 62,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.59, for a total transaction of $4,366,354.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 1,296,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $90,245,982.16. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alexander R. Slusky sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total value of $11,808,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 434,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,326,424. The trade was a 18.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 554,800 shares of company stock worth $60,032,445 over the last three months. 8.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rocket Lab Company Profile

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.

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