Rocket Lab Corporation $RKLB Shares Bought by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 735,075 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,706 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Rocket Lab were worth $47,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Rocket Lab by 320.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 45,937 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $2,950,000 after purchasing an additional 35,010 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Rocket Lab by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 29,570 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,899,000 after buying an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Rocket Lab by 48.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 122,335 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $7,856,000 after buying an additional 40,161 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rocket Lab by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 14,490 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $931,000 after buying an additional 4,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab during the 1st quarter worth about $368,000. 71.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Rocket Lab

In other news, Director Alexander R. Slusky sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total transaction of $11,808,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 434,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,326,424. This represents a 18.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Frank Klein sold 44,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.57, for a total value of $6,328,682.30. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,043,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $148,821,266.79. This represents a 4.08% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 3,849,294 shares of company stock valued at $362,816,208 in the last 90 days. 8.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Rocket Lab from $73.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on Rocket Lab from $95.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on Rocket Lab in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.29.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RKLB opened at $64.68 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $97.13 and a 200-day moving average of $86.50. The firm has a market cap of $37.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -202.13 and a beta of 2.54. The company has a current ratio of 4.47, a quick ratio of 4.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Rocket Lab Corporation has a twelve month low of $37.57 and a twelve month high of $151.00.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07). Rocket Lab had a negative net margin of 26.87% and a negative return on equity of 11.72%. The business had revenue of $200.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.12) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Rocket Lab

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

• Positive Sentiment: New iQPS contract: Rocket Lab secured an agreement with Japan’s iQPS for three dedicated Electron launches to deploy synthetic-aperture radar satellites. It is iQPS’s third multi-launch Electron booking in less than a year, strengthening Rocket Lab’s launch backlog and supporting demand for its small-launch services. Rocket Lab Secures Multi-Launch Deal with iQPS for Three Dedicated Missions
• Positive Sentiment: Government and long-term growth catalysts: Investor attention is also focused on Rocket Lab’s record $266 million U.S. Space Force award for at least 12 missile-defense test missions, progress toward the Neutron rocket and potential analyst price-target upside. The company’s first-quarter revenue rose 63% year over year to about $200 million, exceeding estimates, indicating strong operating momentum. Should You Buy Rocket Lab Stock After It Just Won Its Largest Launch Contract in History?
• Neutral Sentiment: Oversold rebound: Coverage characterized the recent move as a bounce after a sharp sell-off, with shares near technical support and oversold levels. This may attract short-term traders, but it does not by itself change Rocket Lab’s underlying earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and valuation concerns: Rocket Lab remains unprofitable, with a negative net margin near 27%, while substantial spending on Neutron could keep near-term cash burn elevated. Government contract revenue will be recognized over multiple years rather than immediately offsetting development costs. Space sector repricing and Rocket Lab fundamentals
• Negative Sentiment: Sector and insider-selling pressure: The repricing of high-growth aerospace stocks, including SpaceX, has reduced investor appetite for loss-making space companies. Separately, reported open-market insider activity showed 106 sales and no purchases over six months, including significant sales by executives, which may weigh on sentiment.

Rocket Lab 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.