Cathie Wood Doubles Down On Archer Aviation, Rocket Lab As Ark Keeps Selling BYD Stock

On Wednesday, Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest purchased shares of Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR) and Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB), while trimming its position in BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDY).

The BYD Trade

Ark sold 220,351 BYD shares through the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ). The sale was worth approximately $1.9 million, using the supplied share price of $8.72.

The transaction followed Tuesday’s sale of 132,535 BYD shares, valued at approximately $1.2 million using that session’s $9.05 closing price. Across the two sessions, Ark sold 352,886 shares, with an estimated combined value of $3.1 million.

BYD’s third-quarter net profit increased 28% to CNY 10 billion ($1.5 billion), falling short of brokerage forecasts compiled by Reuters. Revenue rose 13.6% to CNY 221.5 billion ($33.21 billion), while overseas vehicle shipments more than doubled.

The Archer Aviation Trade

Ark purchased 184,601 Archer shares through the ARK Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKK), 132,624 shares through ARKQ and 30,951 shares through the ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKX).

The combined purchase totaled 348,176 shares, worth approximately $1.7 million, using the supplied price of $4.86.

Ark also purchased 1,341,239 Archer shares on Tuesday, worth approximately $6.3 million at that day’s closing price. Its purchases across the two sessions totaled 1,689,415 shares, valued at approximately $8 million.

Archer reported mixed third-quarter results Monday. Revenue of $5.1 million exceeded estimates of $3.57 million, while its loss of 35 cents per share was wider than the expected 34-cent loss.

Following the results, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard maintained an Overweight rating but lowered his price target to $10 from $11. Needham analyst Chris Pierce retained a Buy rating and cut his target to $7 from $9.

The Rocket Lab Trade

Ark bought 8,292 Rocket Lab shares through ARKK, 7,940 shares through ARKQ and 1,854 shares through ARKX.

The purchases totaled 18,086 shares, worth approximately $1.2 million, using the supplied price of $66.15.

The additions followed Tuesday’s purchase of 54,623 shares, valued at approximately $3.4 million. Across both sessions, Ark purchased 72,709 shares, with an estimated combined value of $4.6 million.

Rocket Lab’s recent news included analyst assessments of tightening launch capacity. Cantor’s Sheppard said SpaceX was no longer accepting commercial Falcon 9 bookings beyond 2028, potentially strengthening Rocket Lab’s pricing position.

Rocket Lab’s base price for a Neutron launch increased to $70 million from $55 million, while its backlog reached approximately $3.6 billion. However, Neutron’s debut moved into 2027 following a manufacturing issue.

Sheppard maintained Overweight with a reduced $111 price target, while BTIG analyst Andre Madrid retained Neutral, citing valuation and remaining Neutron development risks.

Other Key Trades

• Prime Medicine Inc. (PRME): ARKG purchased 1,744,714 shares.
• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (KTOS): ARKK and ARKQ bought a combined 85,203 shares.
• Scribe Therapeutics Inc. (SCTX): ARKG purchased 7,942 shares.
• Absci Corp. (ABSI): ARKG sold 478,402 shares.
• Honeywell Aerospace Inc. (HONA): ARKX sold 3,335 shares.
• Teradyne Inc. (TER): ARKK sold 415 shares.

Benzinga Edge rankings indicate Archer Aviation stock has a Momentum score in the 5th percentile.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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