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IRIRDM

Iridium Communications Inc.

$IRDM·$5.0B·Telecommunications Services·Communication Services
$44.26-1.6%YTD+166.7%1Y+134.0%
Price updated 11m ago·X counts updated 5d ago
IRIRDM
$IRDMIridium Communications Inc.
$44.26-1.62%87 posts1×
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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On X

Top X posts

The complete picture of $IRDM on X — how loud the conversation is right now, how it has trended over the last two weeks, and which way the crowd is leaning.

87X posts · last 7 days
Sep 28Oct 11
Chatter Meter
1×
QuietNormal · 1×Loud

How loud $IRDM's conversation on X is versus its own normal — 1× is typical, higher means busier. Right now it's about its usual level, louder than 52% of tracked names.

Bearish sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data6 posts analyzed · as of 2026-09-08

Ligado 'kindly and politely told IRDM to F off' on the wholesale model. VSAT setup with call flow could be positioning for a spectrum sale/takeover given IRDM/GSAT buyouts, but IRDM itself is the loser in the current thread.

Read what X is saying about $IRDM

  • Bullish vs bearish call — with the AI summary of the day's posts
  • Divergence flag when the top-engagement posts argue the other side
  • How loud the conversation is versus this ticker's own normal
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AI verdictAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

TickerTalks' own read on what's driving $IRDM — fundamentals, momentum, or an event — and whether it agrees with the X crowd.

Hinges on a big eventStalledAI verdict · as of 2026-10-02

The move has stalled — likely just drifts unless something new shows up.

Iridium up 173% YTD on Rocket Lab takeout drama — Ligado rejection complicates the spectrum story.

Iridium Communications operates a global LEO satellite network for mobile voice/data, machine-to-machine, and government services. The stock is up 173% YTD on Rocket Lab's $1.9B stock issuance to fund an Iridium takeout, with the Ligado wholesale rejection as the recent complication.

  • The P&L is modest: revenue grew 1.9% YoY to $219M last quarter at a 25.8% operating margin and 63% gross margin — the business is cash-generative and profitable, which makes the Rocket Lab deal makes strategic sense if they can integrate the spectrum assets.
  • The Rocket Lab takeover attempt is the specific catalyst — Rocket Lab sold $1.9B of new stock to pay for Iridium, which represents significant dilution for Rocket Lab shareholders and conviction on the Iridium strategic value.
  • The Ligado 'kindly told IRDM to F off' on the wholesale model is a real near-term setback — the spectrum-wholesale thesis the stock was pricing becomes less clear, though the primary driver is still the Rocket Lab bid.

Stalled holds until Oct 22 earnings and a specific Rocket Lab-Iridium deal announcement or rejection. A withdrawn Rocket Lab bid, or a specific sign that Ligado-type partnerships are fading, is what tips this toward breaking-down; a signed definitive-merger with specific consideration levels is what breaks the stalled tape higher.

Agrees with X sentimentX bearish framing on Ligado rejecting the wholesale model is correct — this is a real near-term setback. The VSAT-call-flow spectrum-sale/takeover setup framing is a legitimate adjacency, but IRDM's current price is anchored to the Rocket Lab deal timeline more than Ligado.

What to watch: Oct 22 earnings and any specific Rocket Lab-Iridium merger announcement or regulatory filing. A withdrawn Rocket Lab bid or Ligado-adjacent deal unwind is what breaks the stalled tape lower; a signed definitive-merger extends it.

On the calendar: 2026-10-22 — Q3 FY26 earnings

Read the AI verdict on $IRDM

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
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  • Whether TickerTalks' read agrees with or diverges from the X crowd
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Operates the only truly global LEO satellite constellation providing voice, IoT, and broadband connectivity including to polar regions.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Telecommunications Services sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $IRDM.

Telecommunications Services · Communication Services

No material change from last week — ASTS securities fraud class action adds litigation overhang to the satellite-direct-to-cellular thesis.

What this means for $IRDM

Neutral — Operates the only truly global LEO satellite constellation providing voice, IoT, and broadband connectivity including to polar regions.

Industry benchmark

18-name peer basket
-6.3%YTD
-3.8%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
47.5How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
7.2%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
25.8%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
6.1%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
5.7Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
22.8%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
62.5%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.0Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 22, 2026$0.09$0.28-68.1%
Q1 2026Apr 23, 2026$0.20$0.27-25.9%
Q4 2025Feb 12, 2026$0.24$0.23+4.3%
Q3 2025Oct 23, 2025$0.35$0.26+34.6%
Next earningsThu, Oct 22·consensus EPS $0.34

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$219.1M+1.9%77.3%23.2%$0.20$41.7M
Q4 FY25$212.9M-0.0%79.1%25.9%$0.24$75.1M
Q3 FY25$226.9M+6.7%48.7%30.9%$0.35$79.2M
Q2 FY25$216.9M+7.9%45.7%23.2%$0.20$108.9M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 5 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$917.4M$885.2M – $937.9M$0.97$0.89 – $1.213
FY27$960.7M$895.2M – $1.0B$1.38$1.10 – $2.155
FY28$1.0B$974.8M – $1.1B$1.28$1.13 – $1.444
FY29$1.0B$973.3M – $1.1B$1.93$1.81 – $2.032
FY30$1.1B$1.0B – $1.1B$3.21$3.02 – $3.382

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.2.2×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.71%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-6.1%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.+17.3%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatMid float · 92.0M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today2.5% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellSep 15Last Timothy JamesEVP, Sales & Marketing5.8K sh$267KSellSep 3Last Timothy JamesEVP, Sales & Marketing2.0K sh$95KSellAug 18Thomas FitzpatrickDirector15.0K sh$740KSellAug 17Thomas FitzpatrickDirector209.2K sh$10.5MSellAug 17Eric T OlsonDirector8.0K sh$405KSellAug 17Last Timothy JamesEVP, Sales & Marketing19.5K sh$983KSellAug 17Timothy KapalkaCAO Iridium Satellite LLC13.5K sh$681KSellAug 17Suzanne E. McbrideChief Operations Officer85.5K sh$4.3MSellAug 17Kathleen A. MorganChief Legal Officer33.2K sh$1.7M
+ 37 other (20 awards · 14 inkinds · 2 gifts · 1 return) in window

See when $IRDM insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KShareholder voteSep 248-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote · Item 8.01: Other event
AI summary

Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) held a special shareholder meeting on September 24, 2026 to vote on proposals related to its planned merger with Rocket Lab Corporation under a June 28, 2026 merger agreement, in which Iridium would become an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Rocket Lab via a two-step merger. Of 105,981,552 shares outstanding, 81.38% (86.25M shares) were present or represented by proxy — a strong quorum. Specific vote tallies are not captured in the excerpt, but the high turnout signals strong shareholder engagement in this transformative aerospace/satellite merger.

8-KMaterial agreementSep 158-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement
8-KCharter amendmentAug 108-K — Item 5.03: Charter amendment · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Iridium Communications (IRDM) disclosed two actions by its Board on August 10, 2026. First, the Board amended the company's bylaws to add an exclusive forum selection provision: Delaware Chancery Court (or federal Delaware district court if Chancery lacks jurisdiction) for derivative and fiduciary-duty actions, and the federal U.S. district courts for Securities Act 1933 claims. Second, under Item 7.01, the Board declared a cash dividend of $0.15 per common share, payable September 30, 2026 to stockholders of record as of a date to be determined.

SC 13D/AActivist amendmentAug 4SC 13D/A
AI summary

Securities Exchange filed a amended Schedule 13D disclosing significant beneficial ownership of IRDM. The filer reported owning approximately 9.44 % of IRDM's outstanding shares. The aggregate position value is approximately $0.001. 13D filings are required when a party acquires more than 5% of a company with intent to engage management, and may signal activist interest or strategic accumulation in IRDM.

3New insider — initial holdingsJul 133
AI summary

An officer or director of Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) filed an initial Form 3 on July 13, 2026, disclosing shares held in a retirement or trust account with no pecuniary interest. This filing establishes the reporting person's initial Section 16(a) position. The reporting person's name and specific securities were not detailed in the excerpt.

8-KMaterial agreementJul 78-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 2.03: Material debt obligation · Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Iridium Communications completed the acquisition of the remaining 61% interest in Aireon Holdings that it did not already own, for total consideration of approximately $366.7 million, structured as 50% cash (approximately $183.4 million) and 50% as an interest-free seller note. Aireon operates a global aircraft surveillance system using Iridium's satellite constellation and generates recurring data services revenue from aviation authorities. Full ownership of Aireon is expected to be immediately accretive to Iridium's free cash flow as all Aireon revenue consolidates into Iridium's financials.

8-KMaterial agreementJun 298-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Iridium Communications entered an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Rocket Lab Corporation on June 28, 2026, in a two-step merger where Iridium ultimately becomes an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Rocket Lab. This is distinct from the simultaneous Joby/Rocket Lab merger; Rocket Lab is concurrently acquiring both Iridium (satellite communications) and Joby (urban air mobility), making this a massive multi-target acquisition.

8-KOfficer or director changeMay 208-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 5.07: Shareholder vote · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) filed an 8-K on May 20, 2026 reporting a personnel change (Item 5.02), annual shareholder meeting vote results (Item 5.07), and a Regulation FD disclosure (Item 7.01). Iridium is a McLean, Virginia-based satellite communications company operating the global Iridium NEXT constellation listed on Nasdaq. The concurrent Reg FD disclosure likely accompanies the personnel announcement with an investor presentation; executive changes at a satellite operator can be material if at the C-suite level.

+ 34 other (23 425s · 3 13Gs · 2 earnings 8-Ks · 2 10-Qs) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Altair Semiconductor Integrates Iridium NTN Direct into ALT1350 and ALT1550 Cellular IoT Chipsetsprnewswire.com·2d ago18 Launches Down, 9 More to Go for Rocket Lab. But That's Not the Big Story.fool.com·3d agoIridium Communications Inc (NASDAQ:IRDM) Stock Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Brokeragesdefenseworld.net·5d agoRocket Lab: Iridium Could Explode EBITDA, But A Wildcard Decides If It's Worth Itseekingalpha.com·9d ago3 Space Stocks Worth Owning This October247wallst.com·9d ago

In themes

Explore the broader themes this ticker is being talked about under.

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Voices on X · top 2 · last 7 days

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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