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LUNR Stock Rises 124% in 3 Months: Is There More Upside Ahead?
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Key Takeaways
Intuitive Machines gained from Artemis missions, lunar services, and defense contract wins.
LUNR secured a $175M investment to expand satellite, networking, and space infrastructure.
Intuitive Machines completed Lanteris and KinetX deals to boost deep-space capabilities.
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR - Free Report) shares have risen 124.2% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Aerospace-Defense industry’s decline of 11.2%. The company benefits from its key role in NASA’s Artemis missions, with expanding opportunities tied to lunar transportation, communications services and space infrastructure projects.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Shares of other defense companies, such as Lockheed Martin (LMT - Free Report) and Northrop Grumman (NOC - Free Report) , have declined 20.3% and 21.5%, respectively, over the past three months. Lockheed Martin serves as the prime contractor for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, playing a foundational role in the Artemis program by designing, building and testing the capsule that carries astronauts to the Moon and beyond. Northrop Grumman has a strong presence in Air Force, Space & Cyber Security programs, with its product line being well-positioned in high-priority categories, such as defense electronics, unmanned aircraft and missile defense.
Considering LUNR’s outperformance relative to its industry, investors may be wondering whether now is a good time to add the stock to their portfolios. Let’s examine the factors driving the recent share price gains and assess the company’s investment prospects to make a more informed decision.
Factors Acting in Favor of LUNR Stock
The company reported fourth-quarter 2025 results on March 19, 2026. The company generated $44.8 million in revenues during the quarter, driven primarily by Commercial Lunar Payload Services, Omnibus Multidiscipline Engineering Services III and Near Space Network Services programs. It continues to pursue near-term contract opportunities, including NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services and the next Commercial Lunar Payload Services award. LUNR continued progressing toward profitability, reporting a positive gross margin of 19% in the fourth quarter.
In February 2026, Intuitive Machines announced a $175 million strategic equity investment led by global institutional investors. The investment positions the company to evolve from primarily a lunar lander provider into a broader space infrastructure company with recurring, higher-margin revenue streams. This will also help the company expand satellite communications, orbital data processing, and deep-space networking capabilities through its recently acquired Lanteris Space Systems platforms.
It also benefits from major long-term government programs, such as NASA’s Artemis missions, lunar communications networks, missile-defense initiatives like Golden Dome, and future Mars relay systems.
LUNR completed the $800 million acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems to become a vertically integrated next-generation space contractor serving commercial, civil, and national security markets. The company also acquired KinetX to strengthen its deep-space navigation, constellation management, and secure data relay capabilities from the Moon to Mars. Operationally, Intuitive Machines advanced its role in the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture program by supporting the Tranche 3 tracking layer, beginning production for Tranche 2, and completing deliveries for Tranche 1.
LUNR also secured a major position on the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD IDIQ contract, which carries a ceiling value of $151 billion and is intended to accelerate the deployment of advanced defense technologies for military operations.
Estimates for LUNR Stock
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Intuitive Machines’ 2026 earnings per share (EPS) has risen 33.3% over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lockheed Martin’s 2026 EPS has risen 0.03% over the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Northrop Grumman’s 2026 EPS has declined 0.39% over the past 60 days
LUNR’s Earnings Surprise History
The company’s earnings missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met in the other, delivering an average negative surprise of 58.33%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
LUNR Stock’s Liquidity
The company’s current ratio is 4.96 compared with the industry’s average of 1.13. The ratio of more than one suggests a healthy liquidity position where the business can meet its immediate financial obligations without selling long-term assets.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
LUNR Stock Trades at a Premium
In terms of valuation, LUNR’s forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) is 8.11X, a premium to the industry’s average of 2.49X. This suggests that investors will be paying a higher price than the company's expected sales growth compared with its peer group.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What Should an Investor Do Now?
Intuitive Machines delivered strong operational progress driven by lunar services, space-networking programs, and expanding government partnerships, while continuing to improve profitability and pursue major upcoming NASA and defense opportunities. The company is also transforming into a broader space infrastructure and defense contractor through strategic investments and acquisitions.
Given its premium valuation, new investors may wait for a better entry point. Investors who already own this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock may consider retaining their position, supported by the company’s strong earnings growth outlook and strong liquidity. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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LUNR Stock Rises 124% in 3 Months: Is There More Upside Ahead?
Key Takeaways
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR - Free Report) shares have risen 124.2% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Aerospace-Defense industry’s decline of 11.2%. The company benefits from its key role in NASA’s Artemis missions, with expanding opportunities tied to lunar transportation, communications services and space infrastructure projects.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Shares of other defense companies, such as Lockheed Martin (LMT - Free Report) and Northrop Grumman (NOC - Free Report) , have declined 20.3% and 21.5%, respectively, over the past three months. Lockheed Martin serves as the prime contractor for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, playing a foundational role in the Artemis program by designing, building and testing the capsule that carries astronauts to the Moon and beyond. Northrop Grumman has a strong presence in Air Force, Space & Cyber Security programs, with its product line being well-positioned in high-priority categories, such as defense electronics, unmanned aircraft and missile defense.
Considering LUNR’s outperformance relative to its industry, investors may be wondering whether now is a good time to add the stock to their portfolios. Let’s examine the factors driving the recent share price gains and assess the company’s investment prospects to make a more informed decision.
Factors Acting in Favor of LUNR Stock
The company reported fourth-quarter 2025 results on March 19, 2026. The company generated $44.8 million in revenues during the quarter, driven primarily by Commercial Lunar Payload Services, Omnibus Multidiscipline Engineering Services III and Near Space Network Services programs. It continues to pursue near-term contract opportunities, including NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services and the next Commercial Lunar Payload Services award. LUNR continued progressing toward profitability, reporting a positive gross margin of 19% in the fourth quarter.
In February 2026, Intuitive Machines announced a $175 million strategic equity investment led by global institutional investors. The investment positions the company to evolve from primarily a lunar lander provider into a broader space infrastructure company with recurring, higher-margin revenue streams. This will also help the company expand satellite communications, orbital data processing, and deep-space networking capabilities through its recently acquired Lanteris Space Systems platforms.
It also benefits from major long-term government programs, such as NASA’s Artemis missions, lunar communications networks, missile-defense initiatives like Golden Dome, and future Mars relay systems.
LUNR completed the $800 million acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems to become a vertically integrated next-generation space contractor serving commercial, civil, and national security markets. The company also acquired KinetX to strengthen its deep-space navigation, constellation management, and secure data relay capabilities from the Moon to Mars. Operationally, Intuitive Machines advanced its role in the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture program by supporting the Tranche 3 tracking layer, beginning production for Tranche 2, and completing deliveries for Tranche 1.
LUNR also secured a major position on the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD IDIQ contract, which carries a ceiling value of $151 billion and is intended to accelerate the deployment of advanced defense technologies for military operations.
Estimates for LUNR Stock
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Intuitive Machines’ 2026 earnings per share (EPS) has risen 33.3% over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lockheed Martin’s 2026 EPS has risen 0.03% over the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Northrop Grumman’s 2026 EPS has declined 0.39% over the past 60 days
LUNR’s Earnings Surprise History
The company’s earnings missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met in the other, delivering an average negative surprise of 58.33%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
LUNR Stock’s Liquidity
The company’s current ratio is 4.96 compared with the industry’s average of 1.13. The ratio of more than one suggests a healthy liquidity position where the business can meet its immediate financial obligations without selling long-term assets.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
LUNR Stock Trades at a Premium
In terms of valuation, LUNR’s forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) is 8.11X, a premium to the industry’s average of 2.49X. This suggests that investors will be paying a higher price than the company's expected sales growth compared with its peer group.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What Should an Investor Do Now?
Intuitive Machines delivered strong operational progress driven by lunar services, space-networking programs, and expanding government partnerships, while continuing to improve profitability and pursue major upcoming NASA and defense opportunities. The company is also transforming into a broader space infrastructure and defense contractor through strategic investments and acquisitions.
Given its premium valuation, new investors may wait for a better entry point. Investors who already own this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock may consider retaining their position, supported by the company’s strong earnings growth outlook and strong liquidity. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.