Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Now Covered by Analysts at Citigroup

Investment analysts at Citigroup began coverage on shares of Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $105.00 price target on the rocket manufacturer’s stock. Citigroup’s target price points to a potential upside of 43.78% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Rocket Lab in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Rocket Lab in a research report on Friday, September 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Rocket Lab from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.20.

Rocket Lab Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of RKLB traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $73.03. The stock had a trading volume of 17,092,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,053,301. Rocket Lab has a 12 month low of $37.57 and a 12 month high of $151.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.43. The company has a current ratio of 5.48, a quick ratio of 4.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $43.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -270.46 and a beta of 2.93.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.08) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $234.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $231.62 million. Rocket Lab had a negative net margin of 21.51% and a negative return on equity of 6.48%. Equities research analysts predict that Rocket Lab will post -0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rocket Lab news, insider Marvin Clevenger sold 15,051 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total value of $1,048,001.13. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 458,924 shares in the company, valued at $31,954,878.12. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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, insider Frank Klein sold 45,692 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total value of $3,181,533.96. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 961,295 shares in the company, valued at $66,934,970.85. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,690,331 shares of company stock valued at $219,354,400. 8.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted 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 during the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,320 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, DMC Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

Rocket Lab News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rocket Lab’s 20-launch agreement with Synspective is its largest commercial Electron contract, covering missions from 2028 through 2031. The deal lifts the company’s launch backlog above 100 missions and improves long-term revenue visibility. How Investors May Respond to Rocket Lab Winning Synspective’s Record 20-Launch Electron Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have highlighted Rocket Lab’s efforts to strengthen its supply chain across launch services, spacecraft and components. Greater internal capacity and supply resilience could support execution and future growth as the backlog expands. Can Rocket Lab’s Supply-Chain Strategy Support Future Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: An investment analysis argues that Rocket Lab’s growing business and a successful debut of its larger Neutron rocket could provide another catalyst for the stock. However, Neutron remains an execution milestone rather than current revenue. Is Rocket Lab Stock a Good Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: The pullback follows last week’s sharp advance tied to the new multi-launch contract, suggesting some investors are locking in gains after the favorable news was priced in. Rocket Lab Stock Pulls Back: What’s Going On?
• Negative Sentiment: Rocket Lab’s CFO reportedly sold 140,157 shares. While an insider sale does not necessarily signal weaker fundamentals, it can weigh on sentiment, particularly after a large rally. Rocket Lab CFO Sells 140,157 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Competition for major government contracts remains a risk. Rocket Lab may need to challenge NASA in federal court over a potential $700 million Mars contract, highlighting uncertainty around contract awards and competition from Blue Origin. SpaceX Isn’t Rocket Lab’s Biggest Threat Now — Blue Origin Is

About Rocket Lab

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.