Rocket Lab Q4 Earnings: Revenue Beat, EPS Beat, New Satellite Product, Multi-Launch Agreement, Shares Slide On Soft Guidance

Rocket Lab USA Inc RKLB reported fourth-quarter financial results after the market close on Thursday. Here’s a look at the key metrics from the quarter.

Q4 Earnings: Rocket Lab reported fourth-quarter revenue of $132.39 million, beating the consensus estimate of $130.58 million. The end-to-end space company reported a fourth-quarter loss of 10 cents per share, in line with analyst estimates, according to Benzinga Pro.

Total revenue was up 121% on a year-over-year basis. The company said it achieved a record 16 Electron launches in 2024, up 60% year-over-year.

Rocket Lab ended the quarter with approximately $271 million in cash and cash equivalents, up from $162.5 million in the prior year’s quarter.

“2024 was a record-setting year for Rocket Lab, with our highest annual revenue ever posted of $436.2 million and a record Q4 2024 revenue of $132.4 million — a 382% increase compared to fourth quarter 2021, our first full quarter following our debut on the Nasdaq as a publicly-traded company,” said Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab.

“We rounded out the year with significant advancement across the Neutron program ahead of a planned debut launch in the second half of 2025. The Company’s strong performance across launch and space systems is foundational to Rocket Lab’s momentum toward delivering its own satellite service as a truly end-to-end space company.”

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Outlook: Rocket Lab expects first-quarter revenue to be in the range of $117 million to $123 million versus estimates of $135.67 million. The company anticipates an adjusted EBITDA loss of $33 million to $35 million in the first quarter.

Rocket Lab executives will further discuss the quarter on a conference call with analysts and investors at 5 p.m. ET.

What Else: Rocket Lab also made a series of announcements in separate press releases after the market close on Thursday.

The company announced a new satellite called “Flatellite” tailored for large constellations, the signing of a multi-launch agreement with Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space and new details about its “Return On Investment” ocean landing platform designed for its reusable Neutron rocket.

Neutron is currently slated to make its first launch in the second half of 2025.

RKLB Price Action: Rocket Lab shares were down 7.47% after hours, trading at $18.35 at the time of publication Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.

Photo: courtesy of Rocket Lab.