Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB) Just Released Its Full-Year Earnings: Here's What Analysts Think

There's been a notable change in appetite for Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares in the week since its full-year report, with the stock down 12% to US$7.96. Overall the results were a little better than the analysts were expecting, with revenues beating forecasts by 4.9%to hit US$62m. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Rocket Lab USA

After the latest results, the six analysts covering Rocket Lab USA are now predicting revenues of US$231.2m in 2022. If met, this would reflect a major 271% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. The loss per share is expected to greatly reduce in the near future, narrowing 25% to US$0.19. Before this latest report, the consensus had been expecting revenues of US$231.2m and US$0.19 per share in losses.

As a result there was no major change to the consensus price target of US$18.86, implying that the business is trading roughly in line with expectations despite ongoing losses. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Rocket Lab USA at US$28.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$11.00. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. The analysts are definitely expecting Rocket Lab USA's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 271% annualised growth to the end of 2022 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 77% per annum over the past year. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 6.2% per year. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Rocket Lab USA to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts reconfirmed their loss per share estimates for next year. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - and our data suggests that revenues are expected to grow faster than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. We have forecasts for Rocket Lab USA going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Plus, you should also learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Rocket Lab USA .

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.