Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Trading Up 6.1% – Here’s What Happened

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) rose 6.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $99.58 and last traded at $96.30. Approximately 35,753,989 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 22% from the average daily volume of 29,425,277 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.76.

Rocket Lab News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley upgrade and renewed analyst enthusiasm lift sentiment; the upgrade is cited as a driver of intraday buying. Upgrade, Defense Contract Prompt Rallies For Two Space Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental bull case: deep-dive coverage projects ~\$900M revenue for 2026 as Defense & Space Systems backlog converts and Neutron/Electron scale supports multi-year growth. Rocket Lab Enters A Different League
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: equity traders bought ~172,414 call contracts (≈+18% vs typical daily call volume), indicating short-term bullish positioning that can amplify upward moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus broker view remains constructive (market consensus = “Moderate Buy”), which supports buy-side interest but already partly priced into the rally. Rocket Lab Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum and market-flow coverage (options whales, small-cap rotation) are increasing volatility — helpful for short-term moves but not a change to fundamentals. Check Out What Whales Are Doing With RKLB
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc downgraded RKLB from Overweight to Sector Weight, citing valuation concerns and possible “Neutron euphoria” — that downgrade prompted profit-taking and pressured the stock. KeyBanc downgrades Rocket Lab (RKLB)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director Merline Saintil disclosed large sales (96,000 shares on Jan 13 and 12,500 shares on Jan 14) — visible insider dispositions can heighten investor caution even if they are not evidence of company-level problems. SEC Filing – Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts/critics warn the rally looks extended and vulnerable to a pullback if execution or Neutron timelines slip — a caution that can trigger volatility after rapid gains. Neutron Euphoria Has Pushed RKLB Into Sell Territory

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on RKLB shares. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Rocket Lab from $63.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Rocket Lab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp lowered Rocket Lab from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Rocket Lab from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.42.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.67. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $51.44 billion, a PE ratio of -253.42 and a beta of 2.16.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rocket Lab news, Director Merline Saintil sold 96,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director directly owned 292,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,327,160.82. This trade represents a 24.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Arjun Kampani sold 28,615 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.65, for a total transaction of $1,163,199.75. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 461,014 shares in the company, valued at $18,740,219.10. This trade represents a 5.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, 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 Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rocket Lab during the second quarter worth $192,918,000. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rocket Lab during the third quarter worth about $668,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Rocket Lab by 44.7% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 992,777 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $35,512,000 after acquiring an additional 306,713 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Rocket Lab in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,009,000. Finally, McGuire Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 91.3% during the second quarter. McGuire Investment Group LLC now owns 196,107 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $7,015,000 after purchasing an additional 93,613 shares during the last quarter. 71.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.