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Satellite And Spectrum Expansion Will Drive Opportunity Amid Potential Sale

Published
27 May 25
Updated
07 Nov 25
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AnalystConsensusTarget's Fair Value
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1Y
70.0%
7D
-7.2%

Author's Valuation

US$6015.9% undervalued intrinsic discount

AnalystConsensusTarget Fair Value

Last Update 07 Nov 25

GSAT: Satellite Spectrum Demand Will Drive Increased Acquisition Interest

Analysts have raised their price target for Globalstar from $60.00 to $66.00 per share. They cited confidence in the company's hybrid satellite and terrestrial spectrum business as well as the rapidly growing satellite IoT market.

Analyst Commentary

Analysts have offered insights into Globalstar's valuation and business outlook, weighing both strengths and potential risks as the company executes its hybrid satellite and terrestrial spectrum strategy.

Bullish Takeaways
  • Bullish analysts cite Globalstar's unique positioning as a hybrid investment, offering exposure to both satellite operations and terrestrial wireless spectrum. This spectrum is considered valuable and largely underutilized.
  • They highlight the company's "de-risked" satellite business, which benefits from strategic partnerships and external funding from major technology companies. These factors support stable revenue growth.
  • The rapid expansion of the satellite Internet of Things market, with projections of the total addressable market reaching $4.9 billion by 2030, is seen as a significant driver for Globalstar's future earnings potential.
  • Optimists believe the company's dual focus improves its ability to monetize spectrum assets efficiently. This justifies upward revisions in price targets and reflects growing confidence in management's ability to execute on long-term plans.
Bearish Takeaways
  • Bearish analysts express caution regarding the pace at which the company can fully monetize its terrestrial spectrum assets. They note operational and regulatory challenges that may delay revenue realization.
  • There is some concern about competitive pressures and evolving technology in the satellite communications space, which could impact Globalstar’s market share and pricing power over time.
  • Questions remain about the company’s ability to maintain its trajectory of strategic partnerships and whether external funding will continue to support growth at the expected rate.

What's in the News

  • Globalstar is exploring a potential sale and has held early talks with SpaceX as well as other potential suitors. The company is working with an investment bank to facilitate the process. (Bloomberg)
  • Shares of Globalstar surged nearly 27% following reports of sale discussions and interest from SpaceX. (Bloomberg)
  • Globalstar's chair, James Monroe, has discussed selling the company for over $10 billion. Such a deal could impact its relationship with Apple and affect industry dynamics. (The Information)
  • SpaceX has reportedly added support in its satellite designs for the same radio spectrum used by the iPhone's satellite features, which are currently provided by Globalstar. (The Information)

Valuation Changes

  • Fair Value Estimate: Remained steady at $60.00 per share, indicating no change in analysts' long-term intrinsic valuation.
  • Discount Rate: Increased slightly from 6.78% to 6.96%, reflecting a modestly higher risk profile or cost of capital.
  • Revenue Growth: Essentially unchanged, with projections holding at approximately 13.7% annual growth.
  • Net Profit Margin: Increased from 19.63% to 19.77%, suggesting marginal improvements in expected profitability.
  • Future P/E Ratio: Declined slightly from 124.3x to 124.1x, reflecting negligible changes in forward earnings estimates relative to price.

Key Takeaways

  • Expansion of government partnerships and spectrum monetization diversifies revenue streams and strengthens long-term financial stability.
  • Upgrades in satellite infrastructure and adoption of new IoT modules drive network growth, subscriber increases, and higher margins.
  • Long sales cycles, high capital needs, strong competition, regulatory hurdles, and dependency on major deals risk revenue growth, margins, and financial stability.

Catalysts

About Globalstar
    Provides mobile satellite services in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central and South America, and internationally.
What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
  • Continued expansion of government and defense partnerships, including new agreements with U.S. federal agencies and the Parsons relationship, is expected to drive higher recurring revenue as demand for resilient, mission-critical satellite connectivity grows in response to infrastructure vulnerabilities and natural disasters, supporting both top-line growth and improved visibility.
  • The global rollout of the RM200 2-way module with over 50 partners in advanced testing signals accelerating adoption across industrial, defense, and commercial IoT markets as more assets require always-on connectivity, increasing subscriber numbers and raising ARPU, ultimately benefiting future revenue and margin expansion.
  • Ongoing upgrades to ground infrastructure and the deployment of next-generation satellites (C-3 system and new launches with SpaceX) will boost network capacity, reach, and performance, enabling Globalstar to meet rising demand for hybrid and direct-to-device solutions, thus supporting long-term service revenue and higher discretionary earnings.
  • Progress in monetizing proprietary spectrum assets (notably Band 53/n53), including new licensing and international expansion, facilitates new revenue streams from terrestrial and hybrid wireless markets-a diversification that enhances revenue stability and long-term earnings power.
  • Advancements in software-defined radio (XCOM RAN) and Network-as-a-Service models create new opportunities to capture enterprise and horizontal markets (beyond initial customers), capitalizing on the convergence of satellite and terrestrial networks to drive incremental service and licensing revenues with improved gross margins.

Globalstar Earnings and Revenue Growth

Globalstar Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

How have these above catalysts been quantified?
  • Analysts are assuming Globalstar's revenue will grow by 13.7% annually over the next 3 years.
  • Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from -18.8% today to 19.6% in 3 years time.
  • Analysts expect earnings to reach $75.2 million (and earnings per share of $0.38) by about September 2028, up from $-49.0 million today.
  • In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 108.8x on those 2028 earnings, up from -78.2x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the US Telecom industry at 15.4x.
  • Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to grow by 0.41% per year for the next 3 years.
  • To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 6.78%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Globalstar Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Globalstar Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?
  • The company faces long sales cycles and customer delays in both the enterprise terrestrial and government verticals, which may limit predictable revenue growth and introduce volatility in achieving revenue targets in the medium to long term, potentially impacting net earnings.
  • Persistent high capital expenditure requirements for satellite replenishment, ground infrastructure build-out (such as adding 90 antennas across 35 ground stations), and technology development (e.g., XCOM RAN) could outpace internal cash generation and place pressure on free cash flow, increasing risk of dilution or higher-cost debt, which could suppress net margins.
  • Competitive threats from alternative connectivity options-including continued advances in terrestrial 5G and 6G networks, and well-funded LEO satellite rivals (like Starlink and Kuiper)-could erode Globalstar's pricing power and customer base, pressuring both revenue and ARPU in the long run.
  • Regulatory complexities, especially regarding spectrum sharing, dual licensing, and international terrestrial license approvals, may introduce delays, additional costs, or constrain market access; this raises operational risk and could significantly impact long-term revenue and profitability.
  • The company's ability to expand through strategic partnerships (such as with Parsons or defense agencies) hinges on initial customer success and adoption, but over-reliance on a small number of key contracts or verticals creates earnings volatility and could hurt net margins if major customer deals are delayed, downsized, or lost.

Valuation

How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?
  • The analysts have a consensus price target of $52.5 for Globalstar based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $60.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $45.0.
  • In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $383.1 million, earnings will come to $75.2 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 108.8x, assuming you use a discount rate of 6.8%.
  • Given the current share price of $30.25, the analyst price target of $52.5 is 42.4% higher.
  • We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.

How well do narratives help inform your perspective?

Disclaimer

AnalystConsensusTarget is a tool utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) that ingests data on consensus price targets, forecasted revenue and earnings figures, as well as the transcripts of earnings calls to produce qualitative analysis. The narratives produced by AnalystConsensusTarget are general in nature and are based solely on analyst data and publicly-available material published by the respective companies. These scenarios are not indicative of the company's future performance and are exploratory in nature. Simply Wall St has no position in the company(s) mentioned. Simply Wall St may provide the securities issuer or related entities with website advertising services for a fee, on an arm's length basis. These relationships have no impact on the way we conduct our business, the content we host, or how our content is served to users. The price targets and estimates used are consensus data, and do not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and they do not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Note that AnalystConsensusTarget's analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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