Core Viewpoint - Iridium Communications (IRDM) has shown a significant price increase of 12.3% over the past four weeks, with a mean price target of $40.50 indicating a potential upside of 28% from the current price of $31.63 [1] Price Targets - The average price target consists of six short-term estimates ranging from a low of $30 to a high of $50, with a standard deviation of $6.75, indicating variability among analysts [2] - The lowest estimate suggests a decline of 5.2%, while the highest points to a potential upside of 58.1% [2] - A low standard deviation indicates a high degree of agreement among analysts regarding the stock's price movement [7] Analyst Sentiment - Analysts have recently shown increased optimism about IRDM's earnings prospects, as evidenced by a strong consensus in revising EPS estimates higher [9] - Over the last 30 days, three estimates have been revised upward, leading to a 1% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate [10] - IRDM holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimate factors [11] Caution on Price Targets - Solely relying on consensus price targets for investment decisions may not be prudent, as empirical research indicates that such targets often mislead investors [5][8] - Analysts may set overly optimistic price targets due to business incentives, which can inflate expectations [6]

Core Viewpoint - Iridium Communications (IRDM) reported strong fourth-quarter earnings for 2024, exceeding expectations in both earnings per share and revenue growth, driven by robust performance across its service, subscriber equipment, and engineering segments [1][2][5]. Financial Performance - Earnings per share (EPS) for Q4 2024 was 32 cents, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 94% and up from 30 cents in the previous quarter [1] - Quarterly revenues reached $213 million, a 9% increase year-over-year, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $203.8 million [2] - Total service revenues grew 4% year-over-year to $154 million, contributing 72% to total revenues [3] - Subscriber equipment revenues surged 38% year-over-year to $21.6 million, recovering from previous supply chain challenges [4] - Engineering and support revenues increased by 20% to $37.4 million, supported by new contracts and collaboration with the Space Development Agency [5] Subscriber Growth - As of December 31, 2024, the company had 2,460,000 billable subscribers, an 8% increase from the previous year, with commercial IoT subscribers growing by 10% to 1.89 million [7] Operating Metrics - Total operating expenses were $160.9 million, up from $148.4 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to increased selling, general and administrative, and research and development costs [6] - Operational EBITDA (OEBITDA) rose 3% year-over-year to $117.1 million, with operating income at $52.1 million compared to $46.3 million in the previous year [6] Liquidity and Share Repurchase - As of December 31, 2024, total cash and cash equivalents were $93.5 million, with net debt of $1.7 billion [10] - In Q4 2024, the company repurchased 4.1 million shares for $121.9 million, with an additional $500 million share repurchase program authorized through December 31, 2027 [10] Future Guidance - For 2025, Iridium expects service revenue growth between 5% and 7%, with OEBITDA projected to be between $490 million and $500 million, up from $470.6 million in 2024 [11]

February 13th ended up being an excellent day for shareholders of satellite company Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM ). Shares of the business skyrocketed around 15% after news broke that management announced financial results for the finalCrude Value Insights offers you an investing service and community focused on oil and natural gas. We focus on cash flow and the companies that generate it, leading to value and growth prospects with real potential.Subscribers get to use a 50+ stock model account ...

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Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For full year 2024, Iridium exceeded its operational EBITDA guidance, achieving pro forma free cash flow of $306 million and returning approximately $500 million to investors through share repurchases and dividends [36][59] - In Q4 2024, operational EBITDA rose 3% year-over-year to $117 million, while total revenue grew 9% to $213 million [37] - Service revenue for the commercial business in Q4 was $127.3 million, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous year [38] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Commercial IoT revenue grew 15% in Q4, driven by personal communications, despite a decline of 15,000 IoT subscribers due to a customer changing retail pricing plans [39][41] - Revenue from broadband services in Q4 was $13.4 million, down 9% year-over-year, with a full year decline of 3% [42] - Engineering and support revenue increased 20% year-over-year to $37.4 million in Q4, supported by new government contracts [45] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Iridium reported service revenue growth in the APAC region, where competitors faced outages, highlighting the reliability of Iridium's network [38] - Government service revenue rose to $26.8 million in Q4, reflecting a step-up in a fixed-price contract with the U.S. government [44] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Iridium aims to achieve $1 billion in service revenue by 2030 and generate approximately $3 billion in free cash flow over that period [12] - The company is focusing on safety and mission-critical applications, positioning itself as a complementary service to Starlink in the satellite market [15][19] - Iridium is investing in new technologies and partnerships, including the development of Iridium NTN Direct for direct-to-device services [25][129] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in returning to normal growth trends in 2025, with service revenue growth projected between 5% and 7% [46] - The company anticipates continued strong free cash flow generation and plans to increase dividends in 2025 [59][61] - Management acknowledged challenges from increased competition but emphasized the unique advantages of Iridium's network [15][104] Other Important Information - Iridium retired approximately 4.1 million shares in Q4 2024, totaling nearly 14 million shares for the year, representing about 11% of outstanding shares [11][57] - The company has a cash balance of approximately $94 million as of December 31, 2024, sufficient to support operations and shareholder returns [56] Q&A Session Summary Question: Thoughts on the landscape and D2D developments - Management believes recent developments have not changed their strategy for D2D offerings, which are seen as complementary to other solutions [66][70] Question: Long-term potential for NextGen constellation and CapEx considerations - Management is open to various ideas regarding partnerships for future constellations but emphasizes the importance of owning technology for high margins [72][75] Question: Financial impact and market opportunity for D2D services - D2D services are expected to have a small financial impact in 2026 but will ramp up significantly in subsequent years [81] Question: Prospects for the voice business and growth drivers - The primary growth driver for the voice business remains push-to-talk services, with seasonal variations expected [90][92] Question: Update on Aireon and FAA engagement - Management noted that the FAA has expressed interest in Aireon's technology but is currently focused on other modernization efforts [94][96] Question: Concerns regarding government network security - Management clarified that the network is not encrypted by default, but partners can encrypt traffic, and the recent story is not new or indicative of a fundamental flaw [100][101] Question: Outlook for hosted payload and PNT services - PNT services are expected to be a significant growth driver in 2025, with strong demand anticipated [120][121]

Core Insights - Iridium Communications reported revenue of $212.99 million for the quarter ended December 2024, reflecting a 9.4% increase year-over-year and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $203.78 million by 4.52% [1] - The company's EPS was $0.31, up from $0.30 in the same quarter last year, and significantly exceeded the consensus EPS estimate of $0.16 by 93.75% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - The average revenue per user (ARPU) for Commercial Voice and Data was $45, slightly above the estimated $44.97 [4] - ARPU for Commercial IoT Data was reported at $7.29, exceeding the average estimate of $7.04 [4] - ARPU for Commercial Broadband was $268, slightly below the estimated $270.57 [4] - Total net billable subscriber additions were -22 thousand, falling short of the average estimate of 45.3 thousand [4] - Revenue from subscriber equipment was $21.60 million, surpassing the average estimate of $18.68 million, marking a year-over-year increase of 37.9% [4] - Service revenue totaled $154.02 million, in line with the average estimate of $154.04 million, representing a 4.1% year-over-year increase [4] - Engineering and support service revenue was $37.38 million, exceeding the average estimate of $30.80 million, with a year-over-year change of 20.3% [4] - Commercial service revenue was $127.27 million, slightly below the average estimate of $127.44 million, reflecting a 4.7% year-over-year increase [4] - Government service revenue was $26.75 million, close to the average estimate of $26.85 million, with a year-over-year change of 0.9% [4] - Hosted payload and other data service revenue was $15.41 million, below the average estimate of $15.84 million, showing a 1.5% year-over-year increase [4] - Government engineering and support service revenue was $34.48 million, exceeding the average estimate of $30.12 million, with a year-over-year change of 17.6% [4] - Commercial engineering and support service revenue was $2.90 million, surpassing the average estimate of $2.12 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 66.3% [4] Stock Performance - Iridium's shares returned +0.7% over the past month, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.9% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Iridium Communications (IRDM) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.31 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.16 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.30 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 93.75%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this satellite phone company would post earnings of $0.20 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.21, delivering a surprise of 5%.Over the last four qua ...

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ FORM 10-K _____________________________________________________________________________________________ (Mark One) ☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 OR ☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For th ...

FOR RELEASE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2025 Investor Contact: Press Contact: Kenneth Levy Iridium Communications Inc. +1 (703) 287-7570 ken.levy@iridium.com Jordan Hassin Iridium Communications Inc. +1 (703) 287-7421 jordan.hassin@iridium.com Iridium Announces 2024 Results, Issues 2025 Outlook • Returned a record $469 million to shareholders in 2024 MCLEAN, Va. – February 13, 2025 – Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) ("Iridium") today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024 a ...

Returned a record $469 million to shareholders in 2024MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) ("Iridium") today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024 and issued its full-year 2025 guidance. Net income was $36.3 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, as compared to net income of $38.0 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2023. Operational EBITDA ("OEBITDA")(1) for the fourth qu ...