Thanks for signing up for DividendStocks.com! It's the daily newsletter built for dividend and income investors. Before we can begin sending your daily updates, there’s one quick step left. Please confirm your subscription using the link below so our emails reach your inbox. Click Here to Confirm Your Subscription to DividendStocks.com Here’s a small glimpse of what you’ll get access to: Dividend Stock Ideas — Each newsletter features dividend stocks with high yields, sustainable payouts, and strong growth potential. Ex-Dividend Stocks — Want to capture upcoming dividend payouts? Find out which stocks are going ex-dividend this week. Market News and Events — Stay in the loop on the latest developments impacting popular dividend names like AT&T, Exxon Mobil, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Verizon. Bonus: As a thank-you for confirming, you’ll also receive a free PDF copy of Automatic Income, our popular guide to building wealth through dividend investing. Let’s get your dividend journey started! Discover Top Income-Generating Stocks Here See you in your inbox soon,
The DividendStocks.com Team P.S. Don’t miss out click here to verify your subscription and secure your daily dividend insights and your free investing guide!
Exclusive News Space Stock Boom: Why Retail and Wall Street Are AligningReported by Jeffrey Neal Johnson. Originally Published: 1/27/2026. 
Key Takeaways - Retail enthusiasm and Wall Street research are converging around space technology stocks in 2026.
- Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile sit at the center of the momentum, but each carries very different risk.
- For broader exposure with less single-event volatility, a space-focused ETF can offer a more balanced approach.
For the last five years, the narrative between retail and institutional investors has been one of battle. Retail traders chased hype while institutions stuck to the numbers. Because the two strategies are fundamentally different, these groups were usually on opposite sides of the trade. However, 2026 has brought upheaval that may change how some people play the market. According to a new report from J.P. Morgan (NYSE: JPM), retail traders have migrated away from the meme stocks and artificial intelligence plays of the past. Their latest obsession is the space-technology sector. The former CEO of Google calls it the most important thing to happen in 500, maybe 1,000 years of human society. A former U.S. Treasury Secretary says when your great-grandchildren write the history of this period, the political headlines will be the second or third story. The first story is something none of us have seen before. The dot-com collapse, global financial crisis, and COVID-19 pandemic don't compare to what's coming next. We may be entering a period of dramatic, almost unimaginable change. See the full warning and how to prepare now. In previous years, Wall Street's top investors might have warned against following the crowd. This time, however, the smart money is following retail. On Jan. 16, 2026, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) issued a report that effectively validated the sector. The bank signaled that the orbital economy is no longer a science project — it is an industrial asset class ready for harvest. When Main Street enthusiasm meets Wall Street validation, it can create a powerful setup for stock-price growth. Let's break down the specific stocks at the center of this rare alignment. Rocket Lab: The Apple of Space Gets an Upgrade Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB) is a prime example of this new market unity. For years it has been a retail favorite thanks to a transparent CEO and a steady cadence of launches. Now institutions are catching up. Rocket Lab received two significant analyst upgrades in a week. First, on Jan. 16, 2026, Morgan Stanley upgraded the company to Overweight and raised its price target to $105. That was followed on Jan. 20 by an upgrade from Bank of America, which doubled its price target from $60 to $120. Together, those analysts have pushed the consensus price target to roughly $112.50, implying healthy upside from the stock's recent trading range around $86. Analysts cited Rocket Lab's evolution from a small-rocket launcher into a large-scale infrastructure provider as the key driver of the upgrades. Navigating the Turbulence The stock recently faced a test of faith. On Jan. 21, 2026, the company experienced a structural failure during a pressure test of its new Neutron rocket tank. In prior cycles, news like this might have triggered a panic sell-off. But the stock has shown resilience, falling only about 10%. Why? Because Rocket Lab has a significant financial safety net: an $816 million contract with the Space Development Agency (SDA). Progress is also visible at the launch site with the arrival of new Hungry Hippo payload fairings. That mix of government backing and tangible program progress helps investors look past temporary testing setbacks. AST SpaceMobile: Squeezing the Skeptics If Rocket Lab is the steady industrial play, AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) is the high-octane battleground. The company is attempting a technological feat many thought impossible: connecting standard cell phones directly to satellites for broadband data. Understanding the Short Squeeze AST SpaceMobile is currently trading around $108, but it remains one of the most controversial stocks in the market. Approximately 15% of its available shares are sold short, making it vulnerable to a squeeze. Short selling is a bet that a stock will fall. When a heavily shorted stock receives good news, the price can spike, forcing short sellers to buy shares to cover losses — which pushes the price even higher. That feedback loop is called a short squeeze. The February Catalyst The fuse for a potential squeeze could be lit soon. Investors are focused on late February 2026, when BlueBird 7 is scheduled to launch on a Blue Origin rocket. After the launch, the company plans to activate beta commercial service with AT&T (NYSE: T) in the first half of the year. If the satellites deliver high-speed data to unmodified phones, the bearish case weakens materially. While some large holders, such as American Tower (NYSE: AMT), have sold shares to lock in gains after a big run-up, the retail base has largely held the line, waiting for this moment of truth. The Runners: Real Revenue, Real Rockets For investors who prefer balance sheets over buzz, the sector offers quieter, financially robust options. Planet Labs: The Data Machine Planet Labs (NYSE: PL) is often called the Bloomberg Terminal of Earth — it launches satellites and sells the data they collect. - The Sovereign Shift: Governments are increasingly focused on geopolitical stability, driving demand for sovereign cloud data and dedicated national intelligence products.
- The Scoreboard: That demand helped Planet Labs deliver $81.3 million in revenue in the most recent quarter. With successful launches of its Pelican-5 and Pelican-6 satellites, the company is upgrading its product as demand peaks.
Intuitive Machines: The Lunar Leader Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) stands out as one of the few growth companies with a fortress-like balance sheet. - Cash Is King: The company holds more than $600 million in cash and carries very limited debt. In a high-interest-rate environment, not having to service large debt is a major advantage.
- The Next Mission: Trading near $20, Intuitive Machines is gearing up for the IM-2 and IM-3 lunar missions in the first half of 2026. Its cash reserves give it the flexibility to survive delays, making it a lower-risk way to gain exposure to the lunar economy.
Don't Pick the Winner: Buy the Whole Race Investing in space is exciting, but it's volatile. Rockets explode, tests fail, and schedules slip. For investors who want exposure to the sector without sweating every single launch, the Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ: UFO) is a logical choice. The ETF functions like a basket: it holds shares of Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile, Planet Labs and other global players, including MDA — a prominent firm in the broader space economy. - The Trade-off: You probably won't see a 50% one-day gain like you might with AST SpaceMobile.
- The Benefit: If one company has a bad week, others can help support the portfolio.
- The Numbers: The fund is trading around $47 and has delivered roughly a +92% return over the past year. It also pays a small dividend, offering modest income while the sector matures.
The Era of Concept Stocks Is Over The convergence of the J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley reports with retail enthusiasm is significant. It's rare for the sophisticated models of the world's largest banks to align so closely with public excitement. The orbital economy has graduated. It's no longer just colorful PowerPoint presentations and promises. In 2026 the revenue is real, rockets are flying, and contracts are being signed. Volatility remains, but the trend is clear: space is open for business, and Wall Street is finally buying tickets.
| 
