Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) Trading Up 6% – Here’s What Happened

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares rose 6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $92.19 and last traded at $91.80. Approximately 27,982,921 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 28,968,816 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.58.

Rocket Lab News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a bullish stance and framed Rocket Lab as a premier alternative to SpaceX for 2026 — a high-profile endorsement that supports further upside as investors price government and commercial launch growth. Rocket Lab: Premier Alternative To SpaceX in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded RKLB from Hold to Strong-Buy, which can attract momentum traders and institutional flows—a near-term catalyst for continued price appreciation. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Independent coverage (Seeking Alpha) argues the recent rally may be early innings, citing accelerating launch cadence and Neutron commercialization potential—narratives that support a higher multiple for RKLB. Rocket Lab’s Rally May Be Just The Beginning
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat and other outlets highlight durable longer-term catalysts (govt contracts, launch pace) but warn gains may be capped and that a corrective pullback could be constructive—useful context for investors sizing entries. Rocket Lab Rally Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data this cycle is anomalous (shows zero on the snapshot), so it provides little clarity on compression/short-covering dynamics—treat as unreliable until confirmed by exchange-reported data.
• Neutral Sentiment: Government/defense visits and attention to U.S. launch infrastructure were reported in broader news flows; positive long-term for defense revenue risk but not an immediate financial read-across. Defense Secretary Visit / Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a critical piece arguing “Neutron euphoria” has pushed RKLB into sell-territory and presented a rating downgrade view—this raises valuation risk and could trigger profit-taking among momentum players. Neutron Euphoria / Sell Territory
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks published a note explaining why RKLB underperformed on a recent day, highlighting intraday weakness that underscores how quickly sentiment can reverse after rapid rallies. Here’s Why RKLB Fell

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on RKLB. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Rocket Lab from $63.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Rocket Lab from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Rocket Lab in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rocket Lab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.25.

Rocket Lab Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $49.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -241.58 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.83.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The rocket manufacturer reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $155.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $152.45 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.10) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 48.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Rocket Lab Corporation will post -0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Edward H. Frank sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.39, for a total transaction of $193,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 142,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,028,384.56. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Merline Saintil sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $325,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 388,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,254,385. This trade represents a 1.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,197,650 shares of company stock valued at $262,429,052. 11.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rocket Lab

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rocket Lab by 114.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 174,308 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $3,117,000 after acquiring an additional 92,849 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Rocket Lab by 1,812.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 36,807 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $658,000 after purchasing an additional 34,882 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Rocket Lab by 53.8% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 15,745 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 5,507 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 13.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 773,548 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $13,831,000 after buying an additional 90,758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Rocket Lab by 1.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 67,584 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $1,206,000 after buying an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

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.