Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) Rating Lowered to "Strong Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Intuitive Machines to “strong sell,” even as other analysts remain more constructive, giving the stock a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $26.75.
• The company’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of ($0.25) versus the expected ($0.07) and revenue of $186.73 million below estimates. Despite that, management highlighted record revenue, improved gross margin, positive adjusted EBITDA, and a record backlog.
• Recent developments remain mixed: Intuitive Machines won a U.S. Space Force surveillance contract and plans to acquire Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT, while insiders have also sold shares in the past 90 days.

Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Intuitive Machines from $24.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Intuitive Machines from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Intuitive Machines from $16.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on Intuitive Machines from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Intuitive Machines in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Intuitive Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.75.

Intuitive Machines Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LUNR opened at $33.89 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $23.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.83. Intuitive Machines has a 52 week low of $7.78 and a 52 week high of $37.85. The company has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.51 and a beta of 1.47.

Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.25) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $186.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $202.95 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Intuitive Machines will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Peter Mcgrath sold 24,554 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $579,719.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 401,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,473,418.06. This represents a 5.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Kamal Seyed Ghaffarian sold 141,909 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.14, for a total value of $3,567,592.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,494,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,858,467.52. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 906,297 shares of company stock valued at $19,922,455 over the last ninety days. 54.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intuitive Machines

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Intuitive Machines by 13.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,090,059 shares of the company's stock worth $64,067,000 after purchasing an additional 717,256 shares during the period. Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania acquired a new position in Intuitive Machines during the fourth quarter worth $52,689,000. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Intuitive Machines by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,095,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,238,000 after buying an additional 557,517 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Intuitive Machines by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,735,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,399,000 after buying an additional 61,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Intuitive Machines by 18.4% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,677,305 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,165,000 after buying an additional 415,359 shares in the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Intuitive Machines News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intuitive Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord raised its price target to $41, reinforcing a bullish outlook tied to Intuitive Machines’ role in NASA lunar infrastructure and potential defense-related opportunities. Canaccord Just Hiked Intuitive Machines Price Target to $41: NASA Moon Base, Golden Dome Power Bull Case
• Positive Sentiment: The company secured a U.S. Space Force surveillance contract, adding another government-backed revenue stream and strengthening the investment case for its space-infrastructure business. Intuitive Machines stock gains on securing US Space Force surveillance contract
• Positive Sentiment: Management reported record quarterly revenue, gross margin improvement, positive adjusted EBITDA, and a record backlog, signaling meaningful business momentum despite the headline earnings miss. Intuitive Machines Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results; Posts Record Quarterly Revenue, Gross Margin, and Positive Adjusted EBITDA along with Record Quarter-end Backlog of $1.1 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: The planned Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT acquisition could expand the company’s space-to-Earth communications network and deepen its lunar communications capabilities. Intuitive Machines to Acquire Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and comparisons with peers have kept attention on LUNR’s long-term space-infrastructure potential, but these pieces are mainly sentiment-driven rather than new fundamentals. Better Space Stock: Firefly Aerospace vs. Intuitive Machines
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 earnings were still below expectations, with EPS and revenue both missing estimates, reminding investors that the company is not yet consistently meeting Wall Street targets. Intuitive Machines Inc (LUNR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic ...

Intuitive Machines Company Profile

Intuitive Machines is a Houston, Texas–based aerospace company specializing in commercial lunar exploration and services. The firm develops end-to-end solutions for robotic missions to the Moon, providing spacecraft design, mission management, navigation, communications, and data services under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Founded in 2013 by aerospace engineers Steve Altemus, Tim Crain and Kris Kimel, Intuitive Machines has grown from a small startup into one of the leading private entities pursuing lunar surface deliveries.

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