SpaceX broke a grueling seven-session losing streak on Tuesday. The aerospace giant saw its stock jump as much as 8.4% intraday before settling at a 3.7% gain to close at $119.85 per share.
The sudden rally marks the strongest single-day percentage gain for the company since June 30. That surge added $48.96 billion to the firm’s total valuation, pushing its market cap to $1.639 trillion. With that jump, SpaceX officially reclaimed its position as the seventh-largest U.S. company, taking back the spot it surrendered to Meta Platforms just one day prior.
Macquarie analysts maintained their $250 price target on Tuesday, calling the recent dip a “juicy buying opportunity” for retail investors wanting exposure to the space economy.
The rebound provides some relief after a punishing 21% slide. Last Thursday, SpaceX aborted Flight 13 of its massive Starship rocket when multiple Raptor engines failed to ignite just moments before liftoff. The resulting delay panicked investors and accelerated a broader tech sector sell-off that erased $1 trillion from its post-IPO peak. SpaceX originally went public on June 12 at $135 a share.
Tuesday’s recovery arrived one day after the company confirmed it will report second-quarter earnings on August 4. And that specific date starts a ticking clock for anyone holding the stock.
The August 6 Liquidity Event Looms Over Retail Investors
The upcoming earnings report triggers a massive structural shift for the stock. On August 6, the company’s insider lockup period officially expires. Up to 911.5 million class A common shares held by employees and early backers will suddenly hit the open market.
That equals roughly 37% of all insider shares becoming eligible for sale at once.
Wall Street ties the company’s long-term financial viability directly to Starship. The mega-rocket must fly successfully to deploy the massive next-generation Starlink V3 satellites and fulfill multibillion-dollar NASA lunar mission contracts. If insiders choose to cash out their equity on August 6 while Starship remains grounded on the launchpad, retail buyers could face intense downward pricing pressure despite this week’s brief recovery.