Why Intuitive Machines Stock Dropped Today

By Rich Smith – Mar 19, 2026 at 1:36PM ESTKey PointsIntuitive Machines missed on earnings this morning.Management forecast 2026 revenue to more than quadruple after buying Lanteris.Intuitive Machines (LUNR +1.27%) stock, the space company that returned America to the moon in 2024, tumbled nearly 10% in early trading Thursday before recovering most of its losses in the afternoon. As of 1:05 p.m., Intuitive Machines stock is down only 1.6%. Image source: NASA. Intuitive Machines Q4 earnings What caused the slump in the first place? Earnings. Analysts expected Intuitive Machines to report a $0.06 per share loss in its Q4 report this morning, bringing full-year losses to $0.40 under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The company actually reported a Q4 loss of $59.7 million and a 2025 loss of $106.8 million. On 180.2 million in implied shares outstanding, that works out to a quarterly loss of $0.33 and an annual loss of $0.59. Ouch. Free cash flow for the year was negative $56 million. Revenues slumped 18% for the quarter ($44.8 million), and 8% for the year ($210 million). ExpandNASDAQ: LUNRIntuitive MachinesToday's Change(1.27%) $0.23Current Price$18.34Key Data PointsMarket Cap$2.6BDay's Range$16.36 - $18.4352wk Range$6.13 - $23.32Volume403KAvg Vol12MGross Margin-70.43% What it means for Intuitive With numbers this bad, Intuitive Machines emphasized non-numerical news, reminding investors it landed on the moon for a second time in 2025 (but not mentioning its spacecraft fell over), rehashing its $800 million purchase of Lanteris, and speaking of plans to establish space communications between not just the moon and Earth, but the moon and Mars. Best of all was the company's promise to deliver 2026 revenue growth to $900 million to $1 billion. At the midpoint, that's well ahead of analyst forecasts for $907 million in 2026 sales. Management notably did not promise to earn a profit, however, and Wall Street wants to see $0.16 per share this year. That'll be a giant leap for Intuitive. Now we just need to wait and see if they can make it.Read NextFeb 26, 2026 •By Rich SmithWhy Intuitive Machines Stock Bounced Right Back TodayFeb 25, 2026 •By Rich SmithWhy Intuitive Machines Stock Crashed TodayFeb 18, 2026 •By Scott LevineWhy Intuitive Machines Stock Is Soaring TodayJan 24, 2026 •By James HiresThis Speculative Industrial Stock Could Be Worth $4 Billion by Mid-2026Dec 23, 2025 •By Eric VolkmanWhy Intuitive Machines Stock Slipped on TuesdayNov 15, 2025 •By Rich SmithIntuitive Machines Is (Almost) a Billion-Dollar Space BusinessAbout the AuthorRich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”TMFDittyX@RichSmithFoolStocks MentionedIntuitive MachinesNASDAQ: LUNR$18.34(+1.27%)+$0.23*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.