Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Price Target Cut to $100.00 by Analysts at Needham & Company LLC

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB – Free Report) had its price objective lowered by Needham & Company LLC from $120.00 to $100.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the rocket manufacturer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on RKLB. KGI Securities raised shares of Rocket Lab from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $107.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Thursday, October 15th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.00.

Read Our Latest Report on Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RKLB opened at $66.15 on Wednesday. Rocket Lab has a fifty-two week low of $37.57 and a fifty-two week high of $151.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -183.75 and a beta of 3.15. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.56.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.05). Rocket Lab had a negative return on equity of 5.79% and a negative net margin of 25.73%. The firm had revenue of $267.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $257.21 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Rocket Lab will post -0.20 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Frank Klein sold 35,558 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.61, for a total transaction of $2,368,518.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 925,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,663,341.57. This trade represents a 3.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Arjun Kampani sold 6,034 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.65, for a total transaction of $402,166.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 250,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,723,618.05. This represents a 2.35% 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 551,832 shares of company stock worth $34,940,037. Company insiders own 8.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rocket Lab

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rocket Lab in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,124,970,000. Katamaran Capital LLP grew its position in Rocket Lab by 86.2% during the first quarter. Katamaran Capital LLP now owns 19,808 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 9,172 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Rocket Lab by 17.8% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,410,930 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $90,610,000 after buying an additional 212,700 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in Rocket Lab by 149.8% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 49,957 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,209,000 after buying an additional 29,956 shares during the period. Finally, Saudi Central Bank increased its holdings in Rocket Lab by 105.2% in the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 36,415 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,702,000 after buying an additional 18,670 shares in the last quarter. 71.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Rocket Lab

These are some of the RKLB stories that stood out recently:

  • Positive Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains divided but includes bullish views: Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating with a $103 target, while Needham kept a Buy rating despite lowering its target to $100. ARK Invest also reportedly bought about $3.4 million of Rocket Lab shares. Cathie Wood Just Bought Rocket Lab Shares
  • Negative Sentiment: The company’s $0.12-per-share loss was wider than the $0.07 loss analysts expected, keeping profitability concerns in focus. Investors are also watching execution after Neutron’s first launch was pushed to no earlier than 2027. Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
  • Negative Sentiment: Some analysts see limited near-term upside: Piper Sandler retained a Neutral rating and cut its price target from $83 to $58, citing risks that persist despite the record quarter. Piper Sandler’s Rocket Lab Outlook

About Rocket Lab

(Get Free Report)

Rocket Lab is a space company that provides launch services and spacecraft and satellite systems for commercial, civil, and national security customers. Founded in 2006 by Peter Beck, the company operates internationally, with headquarters in Long Beach, California, and launch operations in New Zealand and the United States. Its launch business centers on Electron, a small orbital rocket designed to carry satellites to space, and HASTE, a suborbital vehicle used for hypersonic test missions. Rocket Lab is also developing Neutron, a larger launch vehicle.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB)

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