Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Shares Climb 1.1% on Analyst Upgrade

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 3rd, 2026

Shares of Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB – Get Free Report) rose 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Citigroup upgraded the stock to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $72.64 and last traded at $70.46. Approximately 23,137,714 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 0% from the average daily volume of 23,065,313 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.68.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $83.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $132.00 target price on Rocket Lab in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Rocket Lab in a research report on Friday, September 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Rocket Lab from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Five equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.20.

Check Out Our Latest Report on RKLB

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Frank Klein sold 45,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total transaction of $3,181,533.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 961,295 shares in the company, valued at $66,934,970.85. This trade represents a 4.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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, SVP Arjun Kampani sold 7,754 shares of the business’s 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 $539,911.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 256,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,891,498.13. The trade was a 2.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days, insiders sold 3,676,528 shares of company stock valued at $313,368,560. 8.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Rocket Lab

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

Positive Sentiment: Record Synspective contract: Rocket Lab signed a multi-year agreement for 20 Electron launches between 2028 and 2031. The deal lifts Synspective’s total planned missions to 47 and pushes Rocket Lab’s launch backlog above 100 missions, strengthening visibility for future launch revenue. Rocket Lab’s 20-Launch Synspective Deal Pushes Backlog Above 100 Missions
Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $105 price target, calling RKLB a potential “core holding for space bulls.” Other analysts cited in recent coverage see substantial upside, supporting the stock’s rebound. Rocket Lab Stock Rises on Record Electron Launch Deal and Citi Buy Rating
Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest ETFs reportedly purchased more than $41 million of Rocket Lab shares across ARKK, ARKQ and ARKX. The buying reflects confidence in Electron, the company’s space-systems business and its planned Neutron rocket. Cathie Wood Is Buying Rocket Lab Again
Neutral Sentiment: Competitive backdrop: SpaceX’s successful Starship orbital test highlights both the opportunity and the threat for Rocket Lab. Larger, potentially lower-cost rockets could pressure launch economics, increasing the importance of Rocket Lab’s differentiated, dedicated-launch strategy and Neutron’s development.
Negative Sentiment: Risks remain: The Synspective contract’s financial terms were not disclosed, Rocket Lab remains unprofitable, and its latest reported quarter missed the consensus EPS estimate despite exceeding revenue expectations. Extensive insider selling—including sales by CEO Peter Beck—may also weigh on sentiment and raises valuation concerns after the recent rally.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rocket Lab

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Rocket Lab in the second quarter worth approximately $4,124,970,000. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 16,200,726 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,130,172,000 after buying an additional 1,738,623 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Rocket Lab in the 2nd quarter worth $437,280,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,737,451 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $278,262,000 after buying an additional 352,094 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab in the second quarter worth $245,764,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $44.23 billion, a PE ratio of -273.77 and a beta of 2.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 5.48 and a quick ratio of 4.98. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.77 and a 200 day moving average of $84.34.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB – Get Free Report) 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). Rocket Lab had a negative return on equity of 6.48% and a negative net margin of 21.51%.The firm had revenue of $234.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $231.62 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rocket Lab Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.