SpaceX is highly valued for its current growth.
xAI holds the keys to SpaceX being a great stock to own.
Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) was 2026's hottest IPO, but now that it has gone public and gone through its post-IPO volatility, investors are better able to assess what kind of upside SpaceX stock has. Some investors are even calling for a major price increase in 2027, but is that accurate?
Let's take a look at what a $1,000 investment in SpaceX could be worth by the end of next year, as that could determine if it's worth an investment or not.
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First, let's check out what Wall Street analysts have to say. Wall Street analysts project one-year price targets for stocks they cover to indicate a general direction they believe the stock is heading. While one projection by itself may be a bit outlandish (the high projection is $450 per share, while the lowest is $62 per share, according to Yahoo Finance), the average gives a useful picture. Among 36 analysts, the average price target is $215 per share -- quite a ways above its current price tag of $150 or so.
That indicates that SpaceX's stock could rise quite a bit in 2027, but is that accurate?
While many investors may be buying SpaceX stock for the space economy and exploration side of the business, I think the real key to its success lies in its artificial intelligence (AI) wing. During the second quarter, AI grew the fastest of all of its divisions, up 213% year over year. If SpaceX is to surpass $200 per share, then its AI division will need to keep up its rapid growth rate and showcase that it's a major competitor in the space. xAI and its Grok model have a pretty wide following, but as AI hyperscalers spend more and more money on computing capabilities, it could push xAI out of its position.
That remains to be seen, but could SpaceX reach more than $200 per share as some analysts project? I don't think so.
The issue with SpaceX's stock right now is that so much growth is already priced in. For 2026, Wall Street expects $44.7 billion in revenue on average. At today's $2 trillion valuation, that prices SpaceX at 45 times sales. That's a very expensive price tag, and normally companies this size trade for 45 times earnings or less, not sales.
As a result, unless SpaceX can dramatically grow and start producing greater profits, I think a $1,000 investment in SpaceX will be worth just that at the end of 2027: $1,000. There are far better AI stock picks than SpaceX, and I think investors should focus their energy there.
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Keithen Drury has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.