SpaceX IPO Could Define Market Sentiment on Musk's Leadership
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
0mins
Source: CNBC
- Valuation Target Raises Eyebrows: SpaceX's staggering $1.75 trillion valuation target, with a price-to-earnings ratio nearing 100 times, significantly exceeds Nvidia's 20-25 times and Apple's 10 times, indicating high market expectations for future growth while raising sustainability concerns.
- Voting Rights Issue Affects Investor Confidence: Musk's insistence on retaining 80-85% of voting rights may deter some investors, particularly given the lack of a stable profit history, reflecting a test of trust in a founder-driven model amidst governance concerns.
- Market Optimism Prevails: Analysts predict SpaceX shares could reach $165 within 12 months post-IPO, representing a 22% upside based on expectations of capturing 75% of the future space market, showcasing investor confidence in long-term growth opportunities.
- Long-Term Risks Require Caution: While the market remains optimistic about SpaceX's future, scholars caution that the company's valuation is closely tied to Musk's leadership, with the next 20 years being critical, as any uncertainties could significantly impact market performance.
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Analyst Views on NDAQ
Wall Street analysts forecast NDAQ stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
9 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 87.520
Low
101.00
Averages
111.50
High
123.00
Current: 87.520
Low
101.00
Averages
111.50
High
123.00
About NDAQ
Nasdaq, Inc. is a global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. The Company manages, operates and provides its products and services in three business segments: Capital Access Platforms, Financial Technology and Market Services. Its Capital Access Platforms segment comprises Data & Listing Services, Index and Workflow & Insights. The Financial Technology segment comprises Financial Crime Management Technology, Regulatory Technology and Capital Markets Technology businesses. Its Market Services segment includes its equity derivative trading and clearing, cash equity trading, fixed income, currency and commodities trading. It operates over 19 exchanges across several asset classes, including derivatives, commodities, cash equity, debt, structured products and exchange-traded products (ETPs).
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue: The Institute will facilitate discussions through roundtables and forums, bringing together market participants and policymakers to explore critical topics like market infrastructure modernization and transparency enhancement, aiming to strengthen market resilience and efficiency.
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- Coverage Initiation: Oppenheimer has initiated coverage on SpaceX with an outperform rating and a 12- to 18-month price target of $190, indicating a 40% upside from the IPO price of $135, reflecting confidence in the company's diversified portfolio.
- Future Growth Expectations: New Street Research set a 12-month price target of $165, suggesting a 22% increase from the IPO price, with analysts projecting SpaceX's revenues to reach $195 billion by 2030, indicating strong growth potential.
- Profitability Outlook: Analysts expect SpaceX to start turning a net profit in 2027, despite a projected net loss of $4.9 billion in 2025, highlighting challenges in the transition to profitability but maintaining an optimistic long-term outlook.
- Market Valuation Potential: Ferragu estimates SpaceX could be valued at $2.3 trillion by 2027, and if the total addressable market exceeds expectations with a 50% market share, the stock could reach $330, showcasing significant market potential and investment appeal.
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- Valuation Target Raises Eyebrows: SpaceX's staggering $1.75 trillion valuation target, with a price-to-earnings ratio nearing 100 times, significantly exceeds Nvidia's 20-25 times and Apple's 10 times, indicating high market expectations for future growth while raising sustainability concerns.
- Voting Rights Issue Affects Investor Confidence: Musk's insistence on retaining 80-85% of voting rights may deter some investors, particularly given the lack of a stable profit history, reflecting a test of trust in a founder-driven model amidst governance concerns.
- Market Optimism Prevails: Analysts predict SpaceX shares could reach $165 within 12 months post-IPO, representing a 22% upside based on expectations of capturing 75% of the future space market, showcasing investor confidence in long-term growth opportunities.
- Long-Term Risks Require Caution: While the market remains optimistic about SpaceX's future, scholars caution that the company's valuation is closely tied to Musk's leadership, with the next 20 years being critical, as any uncertainties could significantly impact market performance.
See More
- Record-Breaking IPO: SpaceX plans to sell approximately 555.6 million shares at $135 each, raising $75 billion and achieving a valuation of about $1.77 trillion, positioning it as the eighth-largest publicly traded company, surpassing Meta and Tesla, highlighting its strong market appeal.
- Fast-Track Nasdaq Inclusion: Nasdaq has amended its inclusion criteria, allowing SpaceX to enter the Nasdaq-100 index after just 15 trading days, significantly shortening the typical wait time, which is expected to attract substantial forced buying from index funds, further boosting the stock price.
- Historical Performance Warning: Research indicates that over the past 14 years, 30 influential tech IPOs experienced an average drawdown of 55% in their first year, suggesting that SpaceX's $974 billion potential decline poses significant risks for investors, urging caution against chasing hot IPOs.
- Lockup Period Impact: SpaceX's staggered lockup schedule will commence in August, allowing insiders to cash out, which may signal the end of the IPO hype; investors should closely monitor the company's future financial performance and operating losses as the initial excitement fades.
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- IPO Size: SpaceX plans to issue approximately 555.6 million shares at $135 each, potentially raising up to $75 billion, which would value the company at around $1.77 trillion, making it the eighth-largest publicly traded company, surpassing Meta and Tesla.
- Fast-Track Index Inclusion: Nasdaq and Russell Indexes have amended their IPO inclusion methodologies, allowing SpaceX to be added to the Nasdaq-100 within 15 trading days, significantly shortening the time for major index inclusion, which could drive the stock price up in the weeks following its debut.
- Historical Performance Warning: While IPO excitement may temporarily boost the stock price, historical data shows that the average drawdown for the last 30 major tech IPOs was 55% in their first year, implying that SpaceX's valuation could drop by approximately $974 billion within a year, urging caution among investors.
- Lock-Up Period Impact: SpaceX's staggered lock-up schedule will begin in August, allowing insiders to start cashing out, which may lead to a price correction, coinciding with the company's first quarterly report that will highlight its operational losses, making future financial performance a key focus for investors.
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- IPO Trading Challenge: SpaceX is set to debut on Nasdaq under the ticker 'SPCX' this Friday, presenting investors with a tight timeline and limited activity sample, complicating their ability to assess long-term trading performance.
- Increased Hedging Demand: With SpaceX's private market valuation nearly tripling over the past year, investors, particularly institutional ones, are urgently seeking to hedge their equity holdings to mitigate risks associated with larger portfolio positions.
- Lack of Comparables: The absence of directly comparable companies in the market poses unique challenges for investors in hedging, making expectation management crucial due to the lack of tradable hedging instruments.
- Market Volatility Expectations: Analysts anticipate that initial SPCX markets will be quite challenging, with expectations of wide trading spreads and very high implied volatility, particularly influenced by the upcoming FOMC meeting and options expiration dates.
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