Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Trading 2.2% Higher – Should You Buy?

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB)’s stock price shot up 2.2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $69.60 and last traded at $67.44. 14,693,245 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 23,966,408 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.01.

Rocket Lab News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dedicated U.S. defense mission / revenue visibility: Rocket Lab announced a dedicated HASTE launch (Cassowary Vex) to deploy Hypersonix’s scramjet for the Defense Innovation Unit — the company’s fourth hypersonic-related mission in under six months, reinforcing recurring government demand and program momentum. Rocket Lab Prepares To Launch Latest Hypersonic Test Mission for Defense Innovation Unit What’s Going On With Rocket Lab Stock On Friday?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context and technicals: broader tech/AI and space-sector rotation is pressuring sentiment; MarketBeat coverage notes Rocket Lab’s prior Neutron concerns sparked a sell-off but argues the move may be overdone, making the stock sensitive to headline-driven flows. MarketBeat Week in Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and comparison pieces: industry write-ups (e.g., head?to?head vs. Teledyne and one?year outlook commentary) are present but offer mixed views — useful for longer-term framing but less likely to move intraday price than breaking contract or sector headlines. Rocket Lab versus Teledyne Technologies Head to Head Survey Where Will Rocket Lab Stock Be in 1 Year?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-driven sell-off weighing on shares: space equities pulled back after unrelated moves (AST SpaceMobile’s large capital raise), and coverage notes Rocket Lab was caught in that broad decline — a likely cause of intraday weakness before the defense news offset some pressure. Rocket Lab stock dragged down in space sector sell-off Rocket Lab Stock Dragged Down In Space Sector Sell-Off
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade: Zacks lowered RKLB from “strong?buy” to “hold,” which can reduce near?term upward momentum by dampening conviction for some retail and model?driven funds. (Zacks commentary referenced publicly.) Zacks Research downgrade

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on RKLB shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Rocket Lab from $60.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Rocket Lab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Rocket Lab from $47.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.92.

Rocket Lab Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $36.02 billion, a PE ratio of -177.47 and a beta of 2.16. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.02.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.02. Rocket Lab had a negative net margin of 35.64% and a negative return on equity of 27.26%. The business had revenue of $155.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $152.45 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.10) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 48.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Rocket Lab news, SVP Arjun Kampani sold 28,615 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.65, for a total value of $1,163,199.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 461,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,740,219.10. The trade was a 5.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Merline Saintil sold 96,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.58, for a total transaction of $8,311,680.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 292,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,327,160.82. The trade was a 24.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 4,306,150 shares of company stock worth $271,865,732 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rocket Lab

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RKLB. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Rocket Lab during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Rocket Lab by 352.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 543 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Rocket Lab in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. 71.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Rocket Lab

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.