Merline Saintil Sells 96,000 Shares of Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Stock

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) Director Merline Saintil sold 96,000 shares of Rocket Lab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.58, for a total transaction of $8,311,680.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 292,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,327,160.82. The trade was a 24.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Merline Saintil also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, December 19th, Merline Saintil sold 5,000 shares of Rocket Lab stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $325,000.00.
• On Wednesday, December 17th, Merline Saintil sold 5,000 shares of Rocket Lab stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.46, for a total transaction of $272,300.00.
• On Friday, December 12th, Merline Saintil sold 15,000 shares of Rocket Lab stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $975,000.00.
• On Thursday, December 4th, Merline Saintil sold 10,000 shares of Rocket Lab stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $480,000.00.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:RKLB traded down $1.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $90.76. 24,654,674 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,782,193. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -238.84 and a beta of 2.16. The business’s fifty day moving average is $59.82 and its 200-day moving average is $53.41. Rocket Lab Corporation has a one year low of $14.71 and a one year high of $92.46. 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 (NASDAQ:RKLB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $155.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $152.45 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.10) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 48.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Rocket Lab

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large U.S. defense win and backlog boost — an $816M SDA contract and other wins doubled Rocket Lab’s backlog, underpinning bullish views on near-term revenue and helping push the stock to record highs. Rocket Lab (RKLB) Stock: Defense Contract Win Drives Shares to All-Time High
• Positive Sentiment: Street bullish thesis on 2026 revenue and defense-led growth — analysis projects ~\$900M revenue in 2026 as Space Systems backlog converts, sustained 30%+ growth from defense programs, and Electron supporting execution credibility. This underpins upside expectations if execution continues. Rocket Lab Enters A Different League
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and bullish coverage — firms like Cantor Fitzgerald and a Zacks upgrade to “strong-buy” have reinforced the narrative that RKLB is a leading SpaceX alternative with upside tied to Neutron commercialization and defense contracts. Rocket Lab: Premier Alternative To SpaceX in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and longer-term cautious views — several feature pieces (Fool, MarketBeat) lay out catalysts (Neutron, launch cadence, defense revenue) but note valuation and execution risks; these provide context rather than immediate catalyst. Is Rocket Lab Stock a Buy After Its Massive Run?
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and institutional flow interest — coverage notes heavy options activity and institutional buying that has amplified the move; these flows can increase volatility but aren’t a fundamental change. Check Out What Whales Are Doing With RKLB
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc downgrade to Sector Weight — an influential analyst cut RKLB from Overweight to Sector Weight citing stretched sentiment/valuation, prompting intraday weakness. Analyst downgrades can trigger short-term selling even amid bullish fundamentals. Rocket Lab Stock Gets A Rare Downgrade—Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/director share sale — Rocket Lab director Merline Saintil sold 96,000 shares (~\$8.3M at ~$86.58), reducing her stake by ~24.7%; large insider sales can be perceived negatively even when they’re routine or for diversification/liquidity reasons. Insider Sale: Merline Saintil
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and “Neutron euphoria” concerns — some analysts contend the rally has priced in best-case outcomes for Neutron and could leave the stock vulnerable to a meaningful pullback if milestones slip. Neutron Euphoria Has Pushed RKLB Into Sell Territory

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rocket Lab

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in Rocket Lab in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Rocket Lab in the fourth quarter valued at about $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 purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Rocket Lab during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on RKLB shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Rocket Lab from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Rocket Lab from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Baird R W upgraded Rocket Lab to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Rocket Lab from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rocket Lab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.25.

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.