Geoffrey Fouvry
Founder & CEO of GraphCall/GraphFinancials, Financial Data Analysis
Space stocks such as AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab cannot justify valuations around 100x sales. They are capital-intensive businesses with large operating risks, as the high premiums insurers charge the space industry show, and for such businesses a 100x sales multiple is a mathematical error. x.comÂ
SpaceX's heavy spending and risk of further borrowing make its sharp stock rally hard to square with weakening debt and a huge lock-up expiration ahead. Bloomberg reports its bonds weakened and credit spreads widened despite earnings above estimates. Talk of a potential Tesla acquisition is also in the air. x.comÂ
SpaceX looks due for a bounce because sentiment has become extremely negative and stretched rubber bands snap. The stock fell from $171 on June 30 to $108, its lowest close, on worries about the lockup, high beta and AI, and permabears declaring victory is a contrarian sentiment signal. Large holders likely hedged with shorts or puts on SpaceX or on AST SpaceMobile, Rocket Lab, Planet Labs and Intuitive Machines, and that unwind could be violent. The negativity should abate. x.com x.com x.com … Show more
Space stocks could regain high-beta flows as SpaceX lockups end and a probable late-November Anthropic IPO threatens AI stocks, much as SpaceX's IPO hurt space names. Hedge funds are overexposed to the Magnificent Seven and underexposed or max short low-quality high beta; falling rates and toppy oil could make the rotation painful for them through 2027. AST SpaceMobile could benefit as intermittent service triggers agreements and Blue Origin possibly returns to the pad in six weeks. x.com x.comÂ
Other space stocks look less attractive as liquidity concentrates in SpaceX. StonkChris expects most to face a tougher long-term outlook, though some may still win; the visible flow of liquidity into one name supports that concern. x.comÂ
Space stocks lost expected support when the S&P committee rejected fast-tracking SpaceX into the index, removing forced passive buying, while funds sell tech to raise cash for next Friday's SpaceX IPO. Rocket Lab's $150 looks like the top, with a likely lower high, perhaps dropping to $100 on Monday before rebounding to $120-130. x.com x.comÂ
A stronger SpaceX could lift the wider space-stock basket, including AST SpaceMobile, Rocket Lab, Redwire, Planet Labs, Intuitive Machines, Firefly Aerospace and Voyager Technologies. Per DeItaone, JPMorgan raised its SpaceX price target from $240 to $500 while maintaining Overweight. The seven space stocks rose alongside SpaceX after hours. Their initial post-IPO selloff was followed by macro-driven weakness, not further weakness caused by SpaceX. x.com x.com x.comÂ
SpaceX shares are a buy rather than a short if they turn ugly before the lockup expires. Many holders in the lockup have large hedges on, and weakness into a lockup has produced some of the best longs, as with LinkedIn, Facebook and Cava. x.comÂ
SpaceX stock should benefit from basic supply and demand: its float is relatively low and it is on a fast track into the Nasdaq-100, so institutions need to position ahead of inclusion. Current market conditions and sentiment support that, and in a generational bull market the best approach is to stay invested in winners. x.com x.comÂ
SpaceX's confidential filing for the largest IPO in history should force fund managers who ignored space to buy in, making this exactly the wrong time to short the sector. SpaceX is seeking a $75 billion raise at a $1.75 trillion valuation, with Polymarket putting a June listing at 60%. Yet AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab sit 30% below their highs, Redwire 35% and Planet Labs 15%. That fund flow has to go somewhere. x.comÂ
SpaceX shares look tempting as the lockup partially ends, with Finviz showing almost a 30% short float. There is no sign of a rush to sell at these prices: many chased the stock at $200, and very few want it in the low $100s. x.comÂ