New York, January 8, 2026, 18:29 EST — After-hours
- Shares closed down 1.2% and edged lower in after-hours trading
- SEC filing showed CFO Adam Spice sold about 1.37 million shares under a 10b5-1 plan
- Next catalysts include Friday’s U.S. jobs report and Rocket Lab’s expected Feb. 26 earnings
Rocket Lab Corp (RKLB) shares dipped in after-hours trading on Thursday after a regulatory filing showed Chief Financial Officer Adam C. Spice sold about $103 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, which sets trades in advance. The stock closed down 1.2% at $83.08 and slipped to $82.98 after the bell, leaving the space company valued at about $44.4 billion. Spice sold 1,365,665 shares at weighted-average prices ranging from $71.49 to $78.24 and exercised options to buy 731,330 shares, the filing showed.
The timing matters because Rocket Lab has been moving fast since the calendar flipped. Shares jumped 10.1% on Tuesday to a record close of $86.03, then fell 2.3% on Wednesday before Thursday’s slide, according to price data.
Rocket Lab has also been trading in the slipstream of a broader defense bid. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman rose on Thursday after President Donald Trump proposed a 50% increase in military spending, while the Nasdaq ended lower, Investors.com reported.
Rule 10b5-1 plans are meant to reduce the risk of insiders being accused of trading on nonpublic information by setting sale instructions ahead of time. They can still hit sentiment when a stock is stretched and liquidity is thin after the close.
The next hard checkpoint is earnings. Rocket Lab is expected to report results on Feb. 26, and investors will look for updates on conversion of contract awards into revenue, margins and program timelines tied to its space-systems and launch businesses.
Before that, traders face Friday’s U.S. employment report for December, due at 8:30 a.m. ET. A surprise either way could swing rate expectations and risk appetite, which tends to show up quickly in high-volatility growth stocks.
The space trade has been choppy elsewhere, too. AST SpaceMobile fell 12% on Wednesday after Scotiabank analyst Andres Coello downgraded the stock to “sell” and flagged valuation risk, Barron’s reported. Barron’s
Rocket Lab’s run leaves little room for operational misses. A launch failure, delays on new vehicle development or slower execution on government satellite work could bring the focus back to spending levels and the path to consistent cash generation.
Shares reopen on Friday with the jobs report in the background and the insider sale still fresh. The next company-specific catalyst is the expected Feb. 26 earnings update.
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