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Cathie Wood Keeps Buying Rocket Lab Stock as It Trades at Less Than Half Its Record

2026-10-12 07:04 •Daniel Sparks •The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Neutral •Equities •RKLB

Axe Cap view

Rocket Lab’s Bold Bet: Risky Yet Intriguing

Cathie Wood keeps buying Rocket Lab despite its steep drop and big questions around its future.

ARK Invest’s continued accumulation of Rocket Lab shares is a high-conviction play on a potential launch capacity crunch around 2030. The company’s $2.36 billion backlog is hard to ignore, signalling genuine demand for satellite launches. But the Neutron rocket, which is meant to ease this crunch, is still untested and its debut date remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Rocket Lab is burning cash fast—$110 million in just one quarter—which raises concerns about how long they can sustain operations before needing more capital, likely diluting current shareholders. Trading at 44 times sales, the market clearly prices in big success, leaving little room for error. South African investors should watch USD/ZAR closely here; a rise in risk sentiment could weaken the rand and make overseas listings like Rocket Lab more expensive to hold. If tech and growth stocks stumble globally, the rand often weakens further, increasing forex volatility for local investors with foreign exposure. This is a firm wait-and-watch for risk-tolerant investors only. this is just our opinion and not financial advice

How I would invest

Avoid buying Rocket Lab for now. Wait for clarity on Neutron's launch timetable and evidence of cash burn stabilization before considering exposure.

What I would watch
  • RKLB
  • USD/ZAR
What could go wrong
  • Neutron rocket delays or failure to launch successfully
  • Further acceleration in cash burn leading to shareholder dilution
How strongly I feel

5/10

ARK Invest has purchased approximately 1.3 million Rocket Lab shares since late August as the stock trades 55% below its May record high. ARK is betting on a future launch shortage by 2030 that Rocket Lab's unflown Neutron rocket could address. While Rocket Lab shows strong demand with a $2.36 billion backlog, the company faces accelerating cash burn ($110 million in Q2) and uncertainty around Neutron's launch timeline, with the stock trading at 44x sales.

Our take is based on reporting first published by The Motley Fool.

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