Top 5 US space stocks to explore in 2022

Highlights 

• Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM) expects its Q4, FY21, revenue to be between US$1.295 billion and US$1.325 billion.
• Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE:RTX) projected its net sales to be around US$64.5 billion in fiscal 2021.
• Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB) expects its Q4, FY21, revenue to be between US$23 million and US$25 million.

Space companies have gained traction in the market, as the publicly traded space stocks have spurred appetites of investors. The space industry was among the hottest sectors in the market recently, aided by bullish estimates of experts.

Experts have suggested that it could acquire a market opportunity of around US$1 trillion in 2040. However, some considerable risks come with the operations of the industry, and it is also possible that some of the publicly traded firms that are into the space business, may not reach their destination.

Here we explore some of the space stocks that have gained investors' attention in recent times.

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Maxar Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MAXR)

Maxar Technologies is a space technology firm that manufactures communication, Earth observation, and other related products and services. It is based in Westminster, Colorado.

The shares of the company closed at US$27.00 on December 16, up 1.5% from their closing price of December 15. Its stock value decreased by 25.62% YTD.

The firm has a market cap of US$1.96 billion. Its 52-week highest and lowest stock prices were US$58.75 and US$25.07, respectively. Its trading volume was 831,378 on December 16.

The revenue of the company was US$437 million in Q3, FY21, as compared to US$436 million in the same quarter of the previous year. For the period, its net income came in at US$14 million, or US$0.19 per diluted share, against an income of US$85 million, or US$1.34 per diluted share in Q3, FY20.

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Source: Pixabay

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Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPCE)

Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight firm that specializes in developing, manufacturing, and operating spaceships and other related technologies. It was founded by Richard Branson and is based in Mojave, California.

The stock of the company closed at US$14.30 on December 16, down by 3.18% from its previous closing price. The SPCE stock fell 38.39% YTD.

The market cap of the company is US$3.68 billion. The stock saw the highest price of US$62.80 and the lowest price of US$13.69 in the last 52 weeks. Its share volume on December 16 was 10,234,960.

The revenue of the company was US$2.58 million in Q3, FY21. Meanwhile, no revenue has been recognized in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. In Q3, FY21, the firm reported a net loss of US$48.36 million, or a loss of US$0.32 per diluted share, as compared to a loss of US$92.06 million, or a loss of US$0.41 per diluted share in Q3, FY20.

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Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM)

Howmet Aerospace is an aerospace firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It engages in manufacturing jet engines and other related products for aerospace applications.

The shares of the company closed at US$29.48 on December 16, down by 1.7% from their closing price of December 15. Its stock value increased by 11.61% YTD.

The firm has a market cap of US$12.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.35, and a forward P/E one year of 29.99. Its EPS is US$0.65.

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The 52-week highest and lowest stock prices were US$36.03 and US$22.91, respectively. Its trading volume was 2,002,599 on December 16.

The revenue of the company was US$1.28 billion in Q3, FY21, representing an increase of 13% from US$1.13 billion in Q3, FY20. Its net income came in at US$27 million, against an income of US$36 million in Q3, FY20.

For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, the firm expects its revenue to be between US$1.295 billion and US$1.325 billion. It also projected its full fiscal 2021 revenue to be between US$4.98 billion and US$5.01 billion.

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Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE:RTX)

Raytheon Technologies is an aerospace and defense firm that focuses on offering advanced systems and related solutions to commercial, defense, and government bodies throughout the globe. It is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The stock of the company closed at US$82.70 on December 16, down by 0.87% from its previous closing price. The RTX stock rose 20.85% YTD.

The market cap of the company is US$123.78 billion, P/E ratio is 37.59, and the forward P/E one year is 19.86. Its EPS is US$2.20.

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The stock saw the highest price of US$92.32 and the lowest price of US$65.02 in the last 52 weeks. Its share volume on December 16 was 4,546,379.

The company's sales were US$16.21 billion in Q3, FY21, up 10% from US$14.74 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. Its net income came in at US$1.40 billion, or US$0.93 per share, as compared to US$151 million, or US$0.10 per share in Q3, FY20.

It now expects its sales to be around US$64.5 billion in fiscal 2021, from its previous forecast range of US$64.4 billion to US$65.4 billion. It has raised its adjusted EPS guidance range to US$4.10 to US$4.20 per share, from its prior projection of US$3.85 to US$4.00 per share.

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Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB)

Rocket Lab is an aerospace firm based in Long Beach, California. It focuses on manufacturing a range of products for the aerospace sector and offers its services in small satellite launches.

The shares of the company closed at US$12.39 on December 16, down by 1.9% from their closing price of December 15. Its stock value increased by 20.29% YTD.

The firm has a market cap of US$5.56 billion. The 52-week highest and lowest stock prices were US$21.34 and US$9.50, respectively. Its trading volume was 2,764,402 on December 16.

The company's revenue was US$5.28 million in Q3, FY21, as compared to US$10.67 million in the year-ago quarter. It reported a net loss of US$87.96 million, against a loss of US$12.60 million in Q3, FY20.

The company expects its revenue to be between US$23 million and US$25 million in Q4, FY21.

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Bottom line:

The space industry has shown rapid progress in the past few years, aided by the huge investments from billionaires like Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and others. The investments have helped to trim the cost of a satellite launch from US$200 million a decade ago to about US$60 million in recent times.