Stock Market Today, Oct. 20: SpaceX Stock Gains After Market Close on Q3 Earnings Report

On October 20, SpaceX's stock price experienced a rebound after its Q3 earnings report was released. The company's shares closed at $147.79, down 0.11%, during regular market hours. However, in after-hours trading, the stock surged to $155.40, marking a 5.15% increase. Trading volume for the day reached 89.4 million shares, slightly below the company's three-month average of 94.5 million shares.

SpaceX went public in 2026, and its stock has fallen by 8% since its initial public offering (IPO). The S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.28%) and Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC -0.02%) both saw modest gains during the same period, with the S&P 500 closing at 7,713 and the Nasdaq Composite at 26,425. SpaceX's competitors in the aerospace and defense sector, such as Rocket Lab (RKLB -0.90%) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS -1.77%), also faced declines in their stock prices.

Investors were particularly focused on SpaceX's Q3 earnings report, with options trading suggesting a potential 8% swing in the stock price. Notably, SpaceX reported a 161% year-over-year revenue growth of $14.6 billion in the third quarter, highlighting its strong performance. The company achieved its first revenue-generating Starship mission in Q3 and successfully conducted a classified national-security launch for the U.S. Space Force.

SpaceX's Super Intelligence division, which focuses on artificial intelligence, generated $7.6 billion in sales, a significant improvement from the previous year's $813 million and a profit of $431 million, a stark contrast to the $1.7 billion loss from operations in 2025. This remarkable turnaround demonstrates SpaceX's ability to generate profits in its AI division, which the company believes holds a $27 trillion market potential.