Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Sunday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on RKLB. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Rocket Lab to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Rocket Lab from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Rocket Lab from $60.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. KeyCorp downgraded Rocket Lab from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.92.

Rocket Lab Trading Up 9.0%

NASDAQ:RKLB opened at $72.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $38.63 billion, a PE ratio of -190.32 and a beta of 2.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $73.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.53. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Rocket Lab has a 52 week low of $14.71 and a 52 week high of $99.58.

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

Insider Activity at Rocket Lab

In other news, insider Frank Klein sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.95, for a total transaction of $7,295,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,169,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,314,076.65. The trade was a 7.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Edward H. Frank sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.39, for a total value of $193,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 142,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,028,384.56. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,306,150 shares of company stock valued at $271,865,732. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rocket Lab

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sara Bay Financial increased its stake in Rocket Lab by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Sara Bay Financial now owns 15,905 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,458 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,191 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $502,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Rocket Lab by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,466 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $939,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadcap Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,246 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. 71.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Rocket Lab

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

• Positive Sentiment: Long-term bull case: analysts and retail commentary highlight a large, growing “space economy” where Rocket Lab’s launch, spacecraft and manufacturing capabilities position it as a core beneficiary versus peers like AST SpaceMobile. Better Space Stock: Rocket Lab vs. AST SpaceMobile
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum explanation: analysis of January performance points to contract wins, improving revenue trends and positive sentiment that helped RKLB rally early in 2026. Why Rocket Lab Stock Skyrocketed To Start 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/volatility note: some analysts see a sentiment mismatch between bullish retail options activity and mixed fundamentals, making option strategies attractive to income/hedge investors rather than a clear directional signal. A Potential Sentiment Mismatch Makes Rocket Lab (RKLB) Stock Options an Enticing Proposition
• Neutral Sentiment: Outlook variability: published “3 predictions for 2026” warns investors to expect volatility around launches, contract cadence and financial guidance — useful for positioning but non‑directional in the short term. 3 Predictions for Rocket Lab in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Congress funding cut: investors sold shares after reports that Congress declined funding for a planned 2031 Mars sample‑return mission tied to NASA’s Perseverance rover—this reduces a potential long‑term revenue path for small‑sat and mission services providers. Rocket Lab Stock Is Sliding Thursday: What’s Driving The Action?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector selloff / peer pressure: a broader space‑stock pullback after a rally tied to the SpaceX‑xAI story and a concurrent software sector rout pressured RKLB alongside peers, amplifying downside despite company specifics. SpaceX rivals AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab join space-stock selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and downgrade risk: earnings‑preview pieces warn that even modest beats may not restore confidence, and some analysts flagged valuation and execution risks ahead of Q4/Q1 updates. Rocket Lab Q4 Earnings Preview: Even A Beat Won’t Save The Stock (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent price volatility: coverage notes steep intraday/near‑term declines (single‑day drops ~10%) that reflect rapid sentiment shifts and increased trading volume—heightened risk for short‑term holders. Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market

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.