SpaceX Lock‑up Release Boosts Stock 2%

SpaceX Lock‑up Release Boosts Stock 2%

SpaceX shares were trading roughly 2% higher around midday on Thursday, after the company released 911.5 million shares that had been subject to lock‑up restrictions. The released shares are valued at approximately $100 billion, raising the total number of tradable shares to 1.55 billion, up from the 639 million that were available when Space Exploration Technologies Corp. completed its record IPO in June at $135 per share. Although many early investors and long‑time employees continue to hold paper profits, the stock is currently trading below the IPO price.

Earlier in the session the stock rose as much as 5% and has since settled at the 2% gain, partially offsetting a 14% decline that followed SpaceX’s first earnings report, where investors reacted negatively to artificial‑intelligence spending that exceeded expectations. Despite the earnings‑related dip, Wall Street analysts have maintained a positive outlook on the company’s equity.

Short interest in SpaceX stands at 36% of the float, according to data from S3 Partners LLC, and short sellers have accumulated paper gains of more than $9 billion from the stock’s decline. A further lock‑up expiration is scheduled for June 2027, when an additional 6.4 billion shares of Musk’s Class A common stock will become tradable.