Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $35.68, but opened at $32.16. Intuitive Machines shares last traded at $35.0150, with a volume of 6,721,160 shares trading hands.

The company reported ($0.25) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $186.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $202.95 million.

Key Stories Impacting Intuitive Machines

Here are the key news stories impacting Intuitive Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord raised its price target to $41, reinforcing a bullish outlook tied to Intuitive Machines’ role in NASA lunar infrastructure and potential defense-related opportunities. Canaccord Just Hiked Intuitive Machines Price Target to $41: NASA Moon Base, Golden Dome Power Bull Case
• Positive Sentiment: The company secured a U.S. Space Force surveillance contract, adding another government-backed revenue stream and strengthening the investment case for its space-infrastructure business. Intuitive Machines stock gains on securing US Space Force surveillance contract
• Positive Sentiment: Management reported record quarterly revenue, gross margin improvement, positive adjusted EBITDA, and a record backlog, signaling meaningful business momentum despite the headline earnings miss. Intuitive Machines Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results; Posts Record Quarterly Revenue, Gross Margin, and Positive Adjusted EBITDA along with Record Quarter-end Backlog of $1.1 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: The planned Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT acquisition could expand the company’s space-to-Earth communications network and deepen its lunar communications capabilities. Intuitive Machines to Acquire Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and comparisons with peers have kept attention on LUNR’s long-term space-infrastructure potential, but these pieces are mainly sentiment-driven rather than new fundamentals. Better Space Stock: Firefly Aerospace vs. Intuitive Machines
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 earnings were still below expectations, with EPS and revenue both missing estimates, reminding investors that the company is not yet consistently meeting Wall Street targets. Intuitive Machines Inc (LUNR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic …

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on LUNR. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Intuitive Machines from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Intuitive Machines from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Intuitive Machines from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Intuitive Machines to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Intuitive Machines from $24.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Intuitive Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.75.

Insider Transactions at Intuitive Machines

In related news, Director Kamal Seyed Ghaffarian sold 141,909 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.14, for a total transaction of $3,567,592.26. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,494,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,858,467.52. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Stephen J. Altemus sold 13,751 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total transaction of $324,661.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,162,495 shares in the company, valued at $27,446,506.95. This trade represents a 1.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 906,297 shares of company stock valued at $19,922,455 in the last three months. Company insiders own 54.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in Intuitive Machines by 627.6% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,048,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,026,000 after buying an additional 904,065 shares during the last quarter. LBP AM SA raised its holdings in Intuitive Machines by 87.2% in the third quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 256,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,698,000 after buying an additional 119,419 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in Intuitive Machines by 36.4% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 486,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,121,000 after buying an additional 129,896 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Intuitive Machines by 13.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,090,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,067,000 after buying an additional 717,256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Intuitive Machines by 78.9% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 2,073,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,810,000 after purchasing an additional 914,458 shares in the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Intuitive Machines Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a PE ratio of -38.51 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.41 and a 200 day moving average of $17.83.

Intuitive Machines Company Profile

Intuitive Machines is a Houston, Texas–based aerospace company specializing in commercial lunar exploration and services. The firm develops end-to-end solutions for robotic missions to the Moon, providing spacecraft design, mission management, navigation, communications, and data services under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Founded in 2013 by aerospace engineers Steve Altemus, Tim Crain and Kris Kimel, Intuitive Machines has grown from a small startup into one of the leading private entities pursuing lunar surface deliveries.