Rocket Lab's revenue growth is about double SpaceX's at a similar valuation, making it the better buy. Its much lower revenue base also lets it grow faster for longer. x.comÂ
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Technology Investor, Visual Company Research
Rocket Lab should double by June 2026 if SpaceX IPOs at around $1.5T, because as the clear number two with similar capabilities it is valued at only $38B, a gap that looks far too big. At $1.7T, SpaceX would trade at over 200x its roughly $8B in EBITDA, as reported on the All-In podcast, an insane multiple. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Investors rotating into cheaper stocks with more upside should ultimately benefit Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile. Both have already suffered major drawdowns. x.comÂ
Rocket Lab still looks ridiculously expensive at 29 times forward sales against SpaceX at 22 times, even after a 65% fall. At 22 times, Rocket Lab would be roughly $38, and SpaceX would still be the pick. SpaceX also has better forward guidance; Rocket Lab's negative adjusted EBITDA makes sales multiples the valuation yardstick. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab is a better play than the SpaceX IPO, partly because of its lower launch costs. The stock offers a good entry point off its rising 50-day moving average. x.comÂ
Rocket Lab is the space stock still priced like a growth stock, and it is building its larger Neutron rocket to compete directly with SpaceX. It has over 70 successful launches and active contracts with the US Space Force and NASA, and Trump signed an executive order in December designating space a core national security priority. SpaceX is the obvious space pick. x.comÂ
Rocket Lab makes little sense to buy over SpaceX, whose IPO is priced at a similar share price with far larger revenue. SpaceX targets $135 a share with $18.7B of revenue, while Rocket Lab trades at $115 with $600M. x.comÂ
Good SpaceX earnings could help Rocket Lab lead the new-space sector higher with a rally as violent as its capitulation. Rocket Lab is the sector leader outside SpaceX; its RSI is extremely oversold, the lower Bollinger band is overstretched and MACD's negative divergence is subsiding. Three upside gaps lie at $55.25-59.18, $64.22-65.71 and $73.11-74.76. The highest should fill before year-end, though the exact date is hard to predict. x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab should see money flow back once SpaceX's rich valuation corrects. SpaceX's listing day could be sell-the-news, pulling Rocket Lab back to $90-100 at most, but at roughly 90-100x sales it is valued about the same as SpaceX at around 115x. With expected Nasdaq inclusion on June 22 and capital rotating from SpaceX into quality space stocks, a lower-high move toward the $130 target banks just raised is possible. x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab's $3B at-the-market offering shows it needs investor cash because it has no real earnings or path to profitability, and it should have raised $10-15B while the window lasts. Selling stock at such a high valuation is the only way to sustain the next 18-24 months, and the coming SpaceX IPO will most likely be the sell event for the entire space sector. x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab and SpaceX are solid long-term holdings for space exposure. Rocket Lab's nearly $20-per-share gain this week came from the SpaceX IPO and a strong macro day. x.comÂ