Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Shares Up 2.2% – Should You Buy?

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB)’s stock price rose 2.2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $69.60 and last traded at $67.44. Approximately 14,693,245 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 23,966,408 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.01.

Key Headlines Impacting Rocket Lab

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dedicated U.S. defense mission / revenue visibility: Rocket Lab announced a dedicated HASTE launch (Cassowary Vex) to deploy Hypersonix’s scramjet for the Defense Innovation Unit — the company’s fourth hypersonic-related mission in under six months, reinforcing recurring government demand and program momentum. Rocket Lab Prepares To Launch Latest Hypersonic Test Mission for Defense Innovation Unit What’s Going On With Rocket Lab Stock On Friday?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context and technicals: broader tech/AI and space-sector rotation is pressuring sentiment; MarketBeat coverage notes Rocket Lab’s prior Neutron concerns sparked a sell-off but argues the move may be overdone, making the stock sensitive to headline-driven flows. MarketBeat Week in Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and comparison pieces: industry write-ups (e.g., head‑to‑head vs. Teledyne and one‑year outlook commentary) are present but offer mixed views — useful for longer-term framing but less likely to move intraday price than breaking contract or sector headlines. Rocket Lab versus Teledyne Technologies Head to Head Survey Where Will Rocket Lab Stock Be in 1 Year?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-driven sell-off weighing on shares: space equities pulled back after unrelated moves (AST SpaceMobile’s large capital raise), and coverage notes Rocket Lab was caught in that broad decline — a likely cause of intraday weakness before the defense news offset some pressure. Rocket Lab stock dragged down in space sector sell-off Rocket Lab Stock Dragged Down In Space Sector Sell-Off
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade: Zacks lowered RKLB from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” which can reduce near‑term upward momentum by dampening conviction for some retail and model‑driven funds. (Zacks commentary referenced publicly.) Zacks Research downgrade

Analyst Ratings Changes

RKLB has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rocket Lab from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Rocket Lab from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Rocket Lab from $47.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.92.

Rocket Lab Stock Up 2.2%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $75.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -177.47 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Insider Transactions at Rocket Lab

In other news, SVP Arjun Kampani sold 28,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.65, for a total value of $1,163,199.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 461,014 shares in the company, valued at $18,740,219.10. This trade represents a 5.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Merline Saintil sold 96,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.58, for a total transaction of $8,311,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 292,529 shares in the company, valued at $25,327,160.82. This trade represents a 24.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 4,306,150 shares of company stock valued at $271,865,732 in the last three months. Insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rocket Lab

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Rocket Lab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab during the third quarter worth $25,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Rocket Lab in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Rocket Lab by 352.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 543 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Rocket Lab in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

Rocket Lab Company 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.