Zacks Research Brokers Increase Earnings Estimates for IRDM

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised Iridium’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $0.92 from $0.90, though it remains below the broader consensus estimate of $0.95.
• Iridium’s latest quarter missed earnings expectations, reporting $0.09 EPS versus $0.28 expected, but revenue reached $225.24 million—above forecasts and up 3.8% year over year.
• The stock carries a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $38.67, while shares opened at $49.38 and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share.

Iridium Communications Inc (NASDAQ:IRDM - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Iridium Communications in a research report issued on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the technology company will post earnings per share of $0.92 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $0.90. The consensus estimate for Iridium Communications' current full-year earnings is $0.95 per share.

Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.19). Iridium Communications had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 10.55%.The company had revenue of $225.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.32 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.20 earnings per share. Iridium Communications's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Iridium Communications from $48.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. New Street Research upgraded shares of Iridium Communications from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Iridium Communications from $26.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. BWS Financial restated a "sell" rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Iridium Communications in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, William Blair downgraded Iridium Communications from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.67.

Iridium Communications Stock Performance

Shares of IRDM opened at $49.38 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.70. Iridium Communications has a 52-week low of $15.65 and a 52-week high of $57.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.42. The company has a market capitalization of $5.23 billion, a PE ratio of 56.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.88.

Institutional Trading of Iridium Communications

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Iridium Communications during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $737,587,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Iridium Communications by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,157,227 shares of the technology company's stock worth $176,533,000 after purchasing an additional 677,258 shares during the last quarter. Silver Heights Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Iridium Communications by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Silver Heights Capital Management Inc now owns 5,251,133 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $91,265,000 after buying an additional 61,430 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Iridium Communications by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,761,749 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $82,759,000 after buying an additional 725,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Iridium Communications by 265.8% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,039,731 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $53,074,000 after buying an additional 2,208,857 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.36% of the company's stock.

Iridium Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Iridium Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.18%.

Key Iridium Communications News

Here are the key news stories impacting Iridium Communications this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Iridium announced amended bylaws and declared a cash dividend following its August 10 board meeting. The dividend provides a shareholder-return catalyst, although the announcement did not specify the payment amount or date. Iridium Communications Updates Bylaws and Declares Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts for the third and fourth quarters of 2026 to $0.26 from $0.24, lifted its FY2027 estimate to $1.13 from $1.08, and increased its Q3 2027 estimate to $0.30 from $0.28. These revisions suggest improving expectations for near- and medium-term profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: Iridium was highlighted as one of the satellite-communications stocks helping drive the space economy, alongside EchoStar and Sirius XM. The company’s strong performance among the Procure Space ETF’s holdings may support investor interest in IRDM. 3 Satellite Communications Stocks Powering UFO
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was listed at zero shares, unchanged from the prior period, with a zero-day days-to-cover ratio. Because the data includes an invalid “NaN” percentage change, it provides no meaningful signal about short-selling pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $0.35 from $0.36, Q2 2028 to $0.30 from $0.35, and FY2028 to $1.32 from $1.52. The longer-term reductions point to more cautious expectations for future earnings growth.

About Iridium Communications

Iridium Communications Inc operates a global satellite communications network that delivers voice and data services across land, sea and air. The company's unique architecture relies on a constellation of 66 low-Earth orbit satellites, enabling real-time connectivity in regions beyond the reach of terrestrial wireless networks. Iridium's core offerings include satellite voice and messaging services, broadband data terminals, push-to-talk (PTT) interoperability and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Iridium serves a diverse range of markets, including maritime shipping, aviation, government and defense, energy, and enterprise.

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