Traders Buy Large Volume of Intuitive Machines Call Options (NASDAQ:LUNR)

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 41,940 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 19% compared to the average daily volume of 35,301 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William John Liquori, Jr. sold 18,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.87, for a total value of $547,248.27. Following the transaction, the director owned 68,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,057,296.25. This trade represents a 21.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Timothy Price Crain II sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.87, for a total value of $3,280,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 351,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,682,471.73. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,546,222 shares of company stock valued at $173,386,975. 54.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intuitive Machines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Intuitive Machines by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 2,643 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Intuitive Machines by 43.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 24,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 7,528 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in Intuitive Machines in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $139,000. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Intuitive Machines by 29.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 30,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 6,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Intuitive Machines by 15.3% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 2,506 shares during the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Intuitive Machines

Here are the key news stories impacting Intuitive Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intuitive Machines reported a record $1.8 billion backlog, including approximately $920 million in second-quarter awards. The backlog spans lunar, satellite, defense and commercial space programs, supporting expectations for future revenue and a shift toward recurring space-infrastructure revenue. LUNR Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Record Backlog and Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel upgraded LUNR to Buy from Hold, arguing that the backlog and long-term growth opportunity are more important than the quarterly miss. B. Riley maintained a Buy rating, while Cantor Fitzgerald retained an Overweight rating. Intuitive Machines stock jumps 8% as Wall Street backs $1.8B backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Call-option activity was elevated, with traders purchasing 41,940 calls—about 19% above average daily volume—suggesting increased speculative bullish interest in the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts lowered their price targets despite maintaining constructive ratings: Stifel cut its target to $26 from $32, Cantor to $32 from $43 and B. Riley to $43 from $45. The revisions reflect near-term execution concerns but still imply substantial potential upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter results missed expectations. Revenue rose fourfold year over year to approximately $206.2 million, but fell short of estimates near $216 million, while EPS of negative $0.29 missed the consensus loss estimate of negative $0.09. A $14.7 million charge contributed to the shortfall. Intuitive Machines Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Director Kamal Seyed Ghaffarian sold 267,448 shares worth approximately $4.3 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Although the sale was scheduled, insider selling can weigh on sentiment.

Intuitive Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LUNR opened at $19.01 on Friday. Intuitive Machines has a 52-week low of $7.78 and a 52-week high of $46.75. The company has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of -20.01 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.17 and a 200-day moving average of $21.90.

Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $206.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.32 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Intuitive Machines will post -0.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LUNR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Intuitive Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $26.00 in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on shares of Intuitive Machines from $24.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on shares of Intuitive Machines from $43.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded Intuitive Machines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of Intuitive Machines in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Intuitive Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.31.

Intuitive Machines Company Profile

Intuitive Machines is a Houston, Texas–based aerospace company specializing in commercial lunar exploration and services. The firm develops end-to-end solutions for robotic missions to the Moon, providing spacecraft design, mission management, navigation, communications, and data services under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Founded in 2013 by aerospace engineers Steve Altemus, Tim Crain and Kris Kimel, Intuitive Machines has grown from a small startup into one of the leading private entities pursuing lunar surface deliveries.