PL vs RKLB Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Planet Labs and Rocket Lab are both commercial space companies but in very different parts of the space value chain. Planet Labs is a data company that happens to use satellites; Rocket Lab is a launch and spacecraft manufacturing company. PL has more recurring revenue; RKLB has broader space value chain exposure with significant Neutron rocket optionality.
Planet Labs suits investors who want recurring space data subscription revenue; Rocket Lab suits those who want to own launch infrastructure plus spacecraft manufacturing with significant upside from the Neutron medium rocket program.
RKLB holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. PL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-0.39% vs -7.42%), though RKLB has the better forward P/E setup (1384.99x vs 1999.00x for PL). RKLB leads on both revenue growth (62.00%) and operating margin (-24.57%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for PL (+93.73%) than for RKLB (+75.91%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- want recurring subscription data revenue from a proven commercial space data company
- value government and enterprise earth observation demand as a stable revenue base
- prefer a further-commercialized space business over an earlier-stage launch operator
- are comfortable with current cash burn while waiting for the ARR-based path to profitability
- want exposure to launch services, spacecraft manufacturing, and space infrastructure
- believe Neutron medium rocket will capture significant commercial and government launch market share
- value diversification across multiple space value chain segments (launch, components, spacecraft)
- are comfortable with development program risk and longer capital return timelines
| Metric | PL | RKLB |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 35.7 | 62.7 |
| AI ranki | #2017 | #89 |
| Latest closei | $12.65 | $52.37 |
| 1M returni | -27.13% | -28.28% |
| 3M returni | -43.40% | -30.01% |
| 6M returni | -68.13% | -38.13% |
| 1Y returni | -0.39% | -7.42% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | PL | RKLB |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.96K (-0.4%) started 2025-11-04 | $9.28K (-7.2%) started 2025-11-05 |
| 5Y ago | $12.37K (+23.7%) started 2021-11-05 | $33.77K (+237.7%) started 2021-11-05 |
| 10Y ago | $12.78K (+27.8%) started 2021-04-26 | $53.75K (+437.5%) started 2020-11-24 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | PL | RKLB |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $7.12B | $40.35B |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Forward P/Ei | 1999.00 | 1384.99 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 19.73 | 45.83 |
| Analyst targeti | $38.73 | $111.00 |
| Target upsidei | +93.73% | +75.91% |
| Metric | PL | RKLB |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 42.10% | 62.00% |
| Earnings growthi | N/A | N/A |
| EPS growthi | N/A | N/A |
| FCF margini | +25.28% | -32.76% |
| Operating margini | -30.46% | -24.57% |
| Profit margini | -111.17% | -21.51% |
| ROIC proxyi | -83.98% | -7.92% |
| Return on equityi | -83.98% | -7.92% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | N/A |
| Payout ratioi | N/A | 0.00% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 2.12 | 2.63 |
| Debt/equityi | 109.99 | 3.83 |
| Current ratioi | 2.81 | 5.48 |
| Quick ratioi | 2.62 | 4.80 |
Over the past year, PL and RKLB have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.68), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | PL | RKLB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -0.39% | -7.18% |
| CAGRi | -0.39% | -7.19% | |
| Volatilityi | 93.27% | 94.51% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.40 | 0.33 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.64 | 0.51 | |
| Max drawdowni | 75.39% | 66.16% | |
| Current drawdowni | 75.39% | 65.14% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 29.25% | 30.43% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 39.55% | 36.41% | |
| Max daily dropi | 25.98% | 14.70% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 37.00% | 25.47% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +23.66% | +237.65% |
| CAGRi | +4.34% | +27.56% | |
| Volatilityi | 83.27% | 79.12% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.40 | 0.64 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.63 | 1.01 | |
| Max drawdowni | 85.73% | 78.32% | |
| Current drawdowni | 75.39% | 65.14% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 56.00% | 47.55% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 60.98% | 54.13% | |
| Max daily dropi | 30.41% | 17.11% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 41.06% | 26.89% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +27.78% | +437.46% |
| CAGRi | +4.54% | +32.69% | |
| Volatilityi | 79.11% | 78.60% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.38 | 0.69 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.60 | 1.11 | |
| Max drawdowni | 85.73% | 82.96% | |
| Current drawdowni | 75.39% | 65.14% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 50.62% | 46.89% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 57.92% | 54.99% | |
| Max daily dropi | 30.41% | 17.60% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 41.06% | 26.89% |
| Category | PL | RKLB |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Planet Labs PBC | Rocket Lab USA, Inc. |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Aerospace & Defense | Aerospace & Defense |
| Core business | Planet Labs provides subscription-based earth observation data and analytics from its 200+ satellite constellation. Government and commercial customers pay recurring fees for access to daily global imagery and derived data products. | Rocket Lab is the second most frequently launching orbital rocket company globally (after SpaceX), operating the Electron small launch vehicle and developing the medium-heavy Neutron rocket. It has diversified beyond launch into space systems — spacecraft manufacturing, satellite components, and mission services. Revenue comes from Electron launches, spacecraft manufacturing, and space systems components. |
| Investor focus | Investors track ARR growth, government contract pipeline, analytics product adoption (higher margin than raw data), and the path to profitability. | Investors track Electron launch cadence and ASP, Neutron rocket development milestones, space systems revenue growth, and the overall backlog as an indicator of future revenue visibility. |
- Proven subscription revenue model with government and commercial customers across multiple verticals
- World's largest commercial earth observation constellation providing a scale moat
- Analytics products add margin and switching cost on top of raw imagery
- Second-largest orbital launch company globally with a proven commercial track record
- Space systems manufacturing revenue provides recurring business beyond launch services
- Neutron medium rocket development could open a significantly larger payload market
- Ongoing dilution as the company raises capital to fund operations before profitability
- Commercial earth observation market faces new competitors with better-funded constellations
- Government contract timing uncertainty can cause revenue lumpiness
- Neutron development is capital intensive with meaningful execution and timeline risk
- Launch services market is competitive — SpaceX dominates and ULA, Arianespace, and new entrants compete
- Profitability requires Neutron success and continued space systems scale
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