Think You Missed Out on Investing in SpaceX Stock? Think Again.

After Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) reported stronger-than-expected 2026 third-quarter earnings, the stock price shot up to $159.31, a 7.7% gain from Oct. 20 to Oct. 21. Shortly after, however, sentiment rapidly changed, and the stock closed at $147.49 on Oct. 23.

That drop could have been linked to a variety of factors; investors may have been more closely scrutinizing SpaceX's third-quarter capital expenditures. There's also been choppy trading in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, along with volatility in the broader markets.

Still, the initial reaction investors may have had after SpaceX's earnings, when they saw the share price start to take off, was that they missed out on starting or adding to a position in the company. That reversal of the stock price, however, shows exactly why there's still plenty of time to invest.

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Investing in SpaceX requires a long-term outlook

For everything SpaceX wants to accomplish, it will take time and require significant spending by the company. For instance, SpaceX could be an early leader in establishing a new wave of AI infrastructure in space through orbital data centers, which comes at a perfect time as pushback against ground-based data centers grows. That said, SpaceX doesn't expect to launch its AI satellites until 2028 at the earliest.

As mentioned, SpaceX is also spending heavily. For the third quarter of 2026, it reported $19.6 billion in capital expenditures, of which $16.4 billion was attributable to its AI division.

That's why investing in SpaceX now is more about waiting for a long-term payoff, and part of accepting that is also accepting erratic stock price swings for the foreseeable future. It's only been trading since June, but already SpaceX shares have traded between $104.83 and $225.64.

To try and get an idea of its long-term potential, forecasts are incredibly difficult to create because they require many assumptions about valuation, investor sentiment, revenue growth, and profitability. That said, investors can still look at near-term outlooks to gauge what an investment in SpaceX could be worth by this time next year.

The SpaceX stock price in 2027

Price targets aren't guarantees, and they should not be used as the primary basis for an investment decision. It is, however, only natural to seek out forecasts for how much higher a stock price could climb to help set expectations and weigh the risks against the rewards. After all, if you're investing in SpaceX, it means those same dollars aren't going into another stock.

Based on CNN-tracked forecasts, 77% of the 47 analysts who cover the stock rate it a buy, 19% a hold, and 4% a sell. And from that group, the median one-year price target is $240, based on Oct. 23's closing price of $147.49, representing a 62.7% gain. The highest price target of $800 can be ignored, as it would most likely take years to reach rather than be reached by October 2027. The group's lowest price target is $118, representing about a 20% decline.

While those forecasts are not guaranteed, they do help establish a risk-reward framework for the stock in the near term. Longer-term, if SpaceX executes on its goals over the next several years, those who haven't invested or are considering adding to a position have certainly not missed out on the meaningful rewards that could be offered to long-term shareholders.

Jack Delaney 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.