Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms “Mixed” Rating for Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB)

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB)‘s stock had its “mixed” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $122.00 price objective on the rocket manufacturer’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 120.81% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on RKLB. Piper Sandler began coverage on Rocket Lab in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays initiated coverage on Rocket Lab in a research note on Friday, October 9th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.05.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RKLB traded down $3.93 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $55.25. The company had a trading volume of 48,146,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,094,537. The company has a current ratio of 5.48, a quick ratio of 4.98 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. The firm has a market cap of $33.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -204.62 and a beta of 2.93. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.33.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $234.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $231.62 million. Rocket Lab had a negative net margin of 21.51% and a negative return on equity of 6.48%. On average, analysts forecast that Rocket Lab will post -0.20 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rocket Lab

In other news, insider Marvin Clevenger sold 15,051 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total transaction of $1,048,001.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 458,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,954,878.12. This represents a 3.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Arjun Kampani sold 7,754 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total transaction of $539,911.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 256,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,891,498.13. This trade represents a 2.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 400,749 shares of company stock worth $26,964,474 over the last three months. 8.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rocket Lab

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Rocket Lab by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,049 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Rocket Lab by 7.1% during the 1st 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 period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Rocket Lab by 3.9% during the first quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,320 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 4.0% in the first quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,644 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Rocket Lab

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rocket Lab retains approximately $2.4 billion in backlog, alongside its established Electron launch business, satellite systems operations and defense-related contracts. Analysts argue these businesses provide support while Neutron development continues. Rocket Lab Still Has a $2.4B Backlog While Neutron Waits
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $90 price target, while Roth Capital maintained Buy at $110. Cantor Fitzgerald also maintained its rating with a $122 target, suggesting substantial long-term upside if execution improves. Stay Cool, Says Analyst About Rocket Lab Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Rocket Lab said Neutron’s first launch is now expected in 2027 rather than late 2026. The company plans to complete additional testing in the first quarter before setting a specific launch date, making the timing uncertain but allowing more time to address reliability issues. Rocket Lab Provides Update on Neutron Development and Adjusts Target Launch Timing
• Negative Sentiment: The delay was triggered by a manufacturing flaw in a carbon-composite propellant tank dome on Neutron’s first stage. The issue follows a tank rupture during testing in January, raising concerns about development execution, additional costs and the company’s ability to compete with SpaceX in medium-lift launches. Rocket Lab pushes Neutron rocket’s debut flight to 2027
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc reduced its price target to $100, and Clear Street set a $105 target, reflecting heightened execution risk. Investors are also weighing recent equity issuance for the planned Iridium acquisition, insider selling and lower projected gross margins, which could increase dilution and cash-burn concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: A broader selloff in technology and semiconductor stocks contributed to risk-off sentiment, but the Neutron setback was the primary company-specific catalyst behind RKLB’s decline.

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.