Space company Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) is likely to provide an update on recent contract wins and its launch schedule when the company reports fourth-quarter financial results Thursday after market close.
• Rocket Lab shares are consolidating. What should traders watch with RKLB?
Here are the earnings estimates, analyst ratings and key items to watch.
Rocket Lab Q4 Earnings Estimates
Analysts expect Rocket Lab to report fourth-quarter revenue of $178.07 million, up from $132.39 million in last year’s fourth quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in six straight quarters and in seven of the past 10 quarters overall.
If the company hits the estimated revenue, it would mark the third straight quarter of setting a company record for quarterly revenue, surpassing the $155.1 million reported in the third quarter.
Analysts expect Rocket Lab to report a loss of nine cents per share in the fourth quarter, an improvement on a loss of 10 cents per share in last year’s fourth quarter.
The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in five of the past 10 quarters and met estimates in two of the last 10 quarters.
Guidance from the company calls for fourth-quarter revenue to be in the range of $170 million and $180 million.
Rocket Lab Analyst Ratings
Analysts have been mixed on Rocket Lab stock in recent months. Here are recent analyst ratings on Rocket Lab stock ahead of the fourth-quarter earnings report:
- Goldman Sachs: Maintained Neutral rating, raised price target from $47 to $69
- Bank of America Securities: Maintained Buy rating, raised price target from $60 to $120
- Morgan Stanley: Upgraded from Equal-Weight to Overweight rating, raised price target from $67 to $105
- KeyBanc: Downgraded from Overweight to Sector Weight rating, with no price target
Key Items to Watch in Q4 Results
Rocket Lab’s quarterly results and management commentary will likely center on continued progress for contract wins and rocket launches.
The company secured 17 Electron launch contracts in the third quarter and said it expects to surpass its previous annual launch record in the fourth quarter. Results will show how the launches went and how many additional wins were signed in the quarter.
Rocket Lab could share early progress in the first quarter, which includes its 80th and 81st launches on Jan. 22 and Jan. 30 and could provide guidance on overall launches for 2026.
“Two launches in eight days is a strong start to the year that speaks volumes about the demand for Electron and the excellence and dedication of the Rocket Lab team,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said after the 81st launch.
Beck called for “an even busier launch year in 2026.”
Rocket Lab was one of the companies included in the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract as part of the Golden Dome initiative from the Pentagon. The company could share details of the size of the potential contract and other recent wins.
The company could also provide updates on some setbacks for launches, including the HASTE launch on Wednesday that was scrubbed.
Earnings and guidance from Rocket Lab could put several space-themed ETFs in the spotlight. The stock is the second-largest holding in the Ark Space & Defense Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKX) at 7.25% of assets and is the sixth-largest holding in the Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ:UFO) at 4.58% of assets.
Those ETFs and Rocket Lab have been in the spotlight more with the increased likelihood that SpaceX goes public in 2026. Rocket Lab could be asked by analysts about this potential event, which could lead to callouts on the company’s valuation being undervalued to the peer and how a public pure-play space launch company could help the stock price.
Rocket Lab Stock Price Action
Rocket Lab stock closed up 0.33% to $70.20 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $14.72 to $99.58. Rocket Lab stock is down 7.6% year-to-date in 2026, taking a step back after gains of more than 200% in 2025.
Photo: T. Schneider via Shutterstock
Recent Comments