Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) shares plunged around 17.5% in pre-market trading on Friday, February 28th, 2025. The significant drop came after the space launch and systems company reported its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings results.
While Rocket Lab's Q4 revenue of $132.4 million and earnings per share of -$0.10 were mostly in line with Wall Street estimates, the company's guidance for the first quarter of 2025 fell short of expectations. Rocket Lab projected Q1 2025 revenue between $117 million to $123 million, below the consensus estimate of $135.7 million.
Additionally, Rocket Lab announced that the inaugural launch of its new larger Neutron rocket has been pushed back to the second half of 2025, a few months later than the previously targeted mid-2025 timeline. The delay in the highly anticipated Neutron launch, which is expected to significantly expand Rocket Lab's launch capabilities, contributed to the sell-off in the company's shares.
Despite the disappointing guidance and launch delay, several analysts remained bullish on Rocket Lab's long-term prospects. KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Michael Leshock believes the company is "on track to follow a similarly aggressive growth trajectory as SpaceX" and maintained an "Overweight" rating on the stock while lowering the price target to $28 from $32.
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