Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by $0.08, reports. The firm had revenue of $269.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $245.90 million.

Here are the key takeaways from Intuitive Machines’ conference call:

• Positive Sentiment: Intuitive Machines reported record third-quarter revenue of $269 million, up 31% sequentially, with positive adjusted EBITDA of $8 million and record free cash flow of $33 million. Backlog reached $1.9 billion, supported by more than $450 million in new bookings and acquired backlog.
• Negative Sentiment: The company refined its 2026 revenue outlook to $920 million–$950 million, citing the timing of contract modifications and awards, while maintaining its expectation for positive full-year adjusted EBITDA. Management expects 13%–15% of September backlog to convert in Q4 and 40%–45% in 2027.
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin rose to 26%, but included about $19 million in favorable one-time program adjustments; the company also recorded a $34 million operating loss. SG&A included a $9.5 million reserve related to HughesNet’s bankruptcy.
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted a more diversified business across civil, commercial, and defense markets, with new satellite awards and expanded ground-network capabilities following the Goonhilly and COMSAT acquisition. Management said production-readiness investments are intended to improve its ability to convert backlog into deliveries and revenue.
• Neutral Sentiment: Intuitive Machines plans to launch its first Altus lunar communications satellite with IM-3, targeted for March–April 2027, and launch four more in 2028; the timing depends on completing testing and commissioning. Management sees NASA’s 10-year CLPS 2 program as a longer-term growth opportunity, but task orders are expected to begin in 2027 and future service revenue has not yet been quantified.

Intuitive Machines Stock Performance

Intuitive Machines stock traded up $1.24 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $13.42. The company had a trading volume of 23,140,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,544,003. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.16 and a beta of 1.91. Intuitive Machines has a 1 year low of $7.78 and a 1 year high of $46.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.33.

Intuitive Machines News Roundup

Investors following LUNR have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: The company’s 2026 revenue guidance is $920 million–$950 million, broadly in line with the current consensus estimate, providing visibility into expected growth. Intuitive Machines Q3 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Options traders bought 37,262 call contracts Thursday, about 83% above typical volume, indicating increased bullish positioning, though options activity can be volatile and is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Intuitive Machines recently landed a NASA lunar contract with a potential scope of up to $15 billion, which could provide significant long-term opportunity; the full value is not guaranteed. Intuitive Machines lands NASA lunar contract

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on LUNR shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on Intuitive Machines from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Zacks Research upgraded Intuitive Machines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Intuitive Machines in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised Intuitive Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on Intuitive Machines from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Steven Vontur sold 3,050 shares of Intuitive Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.13, for a total transaction of $49,196.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 113,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,838,771.61. The trade was a 2.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Timothy Crain, II sold 100,000 shares of Intuitive Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.98, for a total transaction of $1,398,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 351,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,910,880.42. This represents a 22.16% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold 391,263 shares of company stock worth $6,077,802 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 54.10% of the company’s stock.

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is a space exploration and infrastructure company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It develops and operates lunar landers and provides services intended to support missions to the Moon and other space destinations. The company’s offerings include lunar payload delivery, spacecraft and mission operations, and communications and data services. Its Nova-C lunar lander is designed to carry scientific instruments and other customer payloads to the lunar surface, including through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.