Elon Musk Admits There Is Likely to Be Short-Term Pain for SpaceX Investors

When Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ: SPCX), more commonly known as SpaceX, went public in June, much of the excitement centered on its future growth opportunities. Growth investors were optimistic about the company's potential to send people to Mars and revolutionize space travel and the tech sector as a whole by also putting data centers into space.

SpaceX's focus is on the long term, and it's those growth opportunities that may lead to significant payoffs for investors in the end. CEO Elon Musk's grand visions helped make Tesla a leader in the electric vehicle market. The hope is that Musk can work his magic once again, make SpaceX profitable, and create an even larger, more valuable business than it is today.

The problem, however, he warns, is that investors should brace for short-term pain.

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Musk admits the company is likely to fall short of quarterly earnings estimates

In a recent interview with The Economist, Musk discussed his long-term vision for SpaceX, which includes having "a growing civilization" on the moon, Mars, and other places. He also admits that, in the short term, the space company will be spending heavily on bases on the moon and Mars, predicting that he'll be criticized for falling short of earnings targets due to those initiatives. Musk, however, admits it is a very real possibility, and he outlined these types of risks in the company's S-1 filing.

Musk's goals are long-term, so falling short of short-term quarterly earnings expectations is likely inevitable. For investors, this can make it a challenging proposition to invest in the business because while the goals may take many years to achieve, the stock's high valuation suggests its success is already baked into the price tag; SpaceX, at $1.9 trillion in market cap, isn't trading as though its business is full of risk but instead as if it's a guarantee to succeed.

SpaceX's stock is inevitably going to be volatile

It's only been a couple of months since SpaceX went public, and already its share price has gone as high as $225 and as low as $104. The range has been significant, and with Musk foreshadowing underwhelming quarterly results, the stock will likely trade more on hype and company announcements and developments than on earnings and fundamentals. It's a recipe for volatility, and investors should consider that before investing in the stock.

Given how lofty the company's goals are, the safest option for investors is to take a wait-and-see approach, as buying this early, with so many question marks still around the business, will involve significant risk and potentially lead to hefty losses.

David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.