Rocket Lab Corp

RKLB

Market cap $83.1B

Rocket Lab benefits from ETF inflows and sector momentum, with its leading position in small-lift launches and upcoming Neutron medium-lift vehicle. Current valuation is demanding—EV/Sales at 124x TTM, compressing to 37x by 2028 if execution is flawless and Neutron ramps as projected. RKLB's $2.2B backlog, 46% YoY revenue growth, and 38.2% gross margin underpin a buy rating, with catalysts including Neutron's Q4 launch and SpaceX's IPO.

By 2026, Rocket Lab Corporation had definitively outgrown its status as an ambitious space startup. Before us stands a mature, vertically integrated holding company. RKLB's financial profile appears sound: a $2 billion cash buffer and a declining debt level provide management with a sufficient margin of safety. That said, the current market valuation (forward EV/sales of 86.6x) calls for extreme caution on the part of investors.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) is the ticker everyone wants to talk about, riding a 425.79% one-year run on Neutron hype, Golden Dome contracts, and the coming wave of space-economy IPOs.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) has become Wall Street's go-to substitute for SpaceX, which Polymarket traders now give a 94.6% probability of going public by June 30, 2026, and retail money chasing the space theme has to land somewhere.

The red-hot space sector was feeling some heat on Friday, cooling from some of the spectacular gains seen in May.

Blue Origin rocket explodes, Dell's revenue growth is accelerating, Costco sees a mixed quarter, and more news to start your day.

The PC and server maker's stellar first-quarter earnings lift Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Super Micro Computer.

Shares in AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab drop after a rocket explodes in a major setback for Jeff Bezos' space company.

Shares of Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) are up 9% in mid-morning trading Thursday, while Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) stock is down 3% and Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) stock is lower by 2%.

I am rating Rocket Lab a Buy because I believe RKLB is one of the few credible public platforms for investors looking for exposure to launch, satellites, GEO and Neutron. The growth drivers are; the upcoming SpaceX IPO could reprice the space sector, AI could increase demand for space-based data infrastructure, and governments are spending more on sovereign space capability. My price target is $196, representing a 37% upside potential, from the current price of $143. I arrive at my PT by using a 50x FWD EV/Sales and $2.35 billion estimated revenue.