Rocket Lab shares hit $100 after Nasdaq 100 entry

Rocket Lab Ltd. shares slid from a record $151 to about $100 after the company was added to the Nasdaq 100 earlier this month. The stock fell to slightly below $100 on the day of inclusion; index-tracking exchange-traded funds bought shares before profit-taking reduced the price.

The decline found support near the 100-day weighted moving average and at the $100 level, which aligns with January’s swing high and the upper edge of a cup-and-handle pattern. Chart readers identify a break-and-retest setup. The Average Directional Index dropped from about 43 to roughly 25, suggesting the prior strong trend has cooled. Price action also formed a falling wedge pattern.

Operational data and bookings point to rising demand. Rocket Lab reported 31 missions booked in the first quarter across orbital and suborbital services. The company’s small launcher, Electron, continues to receive government and commercial bookings. HASTE, a hypersonic-accelerator suborbital variant of Electron, has seen demand from the U.S. Department of Defense as that agency advances hypersonic testing.

Orders for Neutron, Rocket Lab’s medium-lift vehicle, include a 20-launch award from the Department of Defense valued at about $190 million and the company’s selection for work on the Golden Dome initiative. Company management says Neutron will increase payload capacity and support a shift toward higher revenue and profitability as larger vehicles enter service.

Revenue forecasts compiled by financial platforms project annual revenue of about $915 million this year, up roughly 52%, and about $1.29 billion next year, up about 41%. Rocket Lab plans a first Neutron launch later this year, with deployment expected to scale over time.

Risks include profit-taking that often follows index inclusion, the potential for extended distribution and markdown phases described in some technical frameworks, execution risk tied to Neutron’s first flight and a high forward price-to-sales ratio near 67. These factors may affect near-term price movement and valuation.

Investors are monitoring technical charts, the company’s launch backlog, revenue projections and the Neutron development timetable.