Last Update 08 Jan 26
GILT: Solid Execution And Cash Generation Support Balanced Risk Reward Outlook
Analysts kept their price target for Gilat Satellite Networks steady at US$14.50, with only minor tweaks to inputs such as the discount rate, long term revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E assumptions behind their valuation models.
What's in the News
- Reported Q3 earnings per share of US$0.19 versus consensus of US$0.10, with revenue of US$117.7m compared with consensus of US$113.17m. Management also highlighted order bookings, demand across VHTS, NGSO and ESA programs, and a US$66m private placement completed in the quarter (Periodicals).
- Announced a private placement to Israeli institutional and accredited investors for 8,888,889 ordinary shares at US$11.25 per share. The transaction is expected to generate net proceeds of about US$98.8m after approximately US$1.2m in offering expenses, with closing subject to customary conditions and expected in December 2025 (Key Developments).
- Gilat DataPath selected to deliver a customized Earth Observation Solution worth about US$10m over the next 12 months, expanding the defense portfolio into earth observation and geospatial insights using a transportable direct downlink terminal for real time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (Key Developments).
- Commercial division received orders of more than US$6m for Wavestream Gateway SSPAs to support Low Earth Orbit constellations, with deliveries expected over the next 12 months (Key Developments).
- Commercial division received US$42m in orders from a satellite operator, primarily for the multi orbit SkyEdge IV platform, with systems scheduled for delivery over the next 12 months across use cases such as in flight connectivity, maritime mobility, enterprise broadband and cellular backhaul (Key Developments).
Valuation Changes
- Fair Value: Analyst fair value estimate is unchanged at US$14.50 per share.
- Discount Rate: The discount rate used in the model was adjusted slightly, from 10.31% to 10.30%.
- Revenue Growth: The long-term revenue growth assumption remains broadly stable, at about 19.28%.
- Net Profit Margin: The long-term net profit margin assumption is effectively unchanged, at about 3.52%.
- Future P/E: The future P/E multiple in the model was trimmed marginally, from 51.45x to 51.43x.
Key Takeaways
- Accelerating adoption of satellite connectivity and digital inclusion initiatives drives robust contract wins, strengthening long-term revenue visibility and positioning Gilat as a critical industry supplier.
- Shift toward high-margin recurring revenue models and expanded mobility solutions portfolio supports future profitability and sustained multi-year growth.
- Margin compression, operational delays, contract risks, market softness, and increased customer bargaining power threaten Gilat's profitability, revenue stability, and long-term growth prospects.
Catalysts
About Gilat Satellite Networks- Provides satellite-based broadband communication solutions in Israel, the United States, Peru, and internationally.
- Growing global investment in secure, mission-critical satellite connectivity-driven by increased geopolitical tensions, public infrastructure modernization, and digital inclusion initiatives-continues to expand Gilat's addressable market, as evidenced by record new defense contracts and major government programs in regions such as Latin America and Europe. This is likely to support outsized revenue growth and enhance long-term earnings visibility.
- Proliferation of high-throughput, cloud-native, and software-defined communications (demand for platforms like SkyEdge IV) is shifting industry architecture, enabling Gilat to transition to higher-margin, recurring revenue through software licensing and platform-as-a-service models. This ongoing evolution is expected to lift future gross margins and improve overall profitability.
- Gilat's established relationships and expanding contract wins with leading NGSO/LEO/MEO satellite constellations (e.g., OneWeb, SES, and Iris Square) position it as a key supplier amid massive satellite network rollouts, underpinning robust backlog and recurring equipment sales, further driving top-line performance.
- Increasing deployment of Gilat's mobility solutions (ex: Stellar Blu terminals for commercial aviation inflight connectivity) and evidence of production ramp-up, customer certifications, and growing backlog point to sustained multi-year revenue growth and eventual margin improvement as scale and internal component manufacturing drive cost efficiencies.
- Strong pipeline and repeated large-scale orders from government digital inclusion projects (Peru and similar emerging market initiatives) capitalize on global broadband expansion, translating into resilient recurring service revenues and higher per-project profitability over multi-year timeframes.
Gilat Satellite Networks Future Earnings and Revenue Growth
Assumptions
How have these above catalysts been quantified?- Analysts are assuming Gilat Satellite Networks's revenue will grow by 22.9% annually over the next 3 years.
- Analysts assume that profit margins will shrink from 6.4% today to 5.4% in 3 years time.
- Analysts expect earnings to reach $35.0 million (and earnings per share of $0.61) by about September 2028, up from $22.4 million today. The analysts are largely in agreement about this estimate.
- In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 24.3x on those 2028 earnings, down from 27.2x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the US Communications industry at 27.2x.
- Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to grow by 0.31% per year for the next 3 years.
- To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 10.61%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.
Gilat Satellite Networks Future Earnings Per Share Growth
Risks
What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?- Gilat's gross margins have declined year-over-year (32.9% non-GAAP vs. 36.8% prior year), primarily due to lower margin contributions from Stellar Blu and increased amortization of intangibles, raising concerns about sustained net profitability and margin compression as the product mix shifts toward lower-margin businesses.
- The production ramp-up at Stellar Blu is progressing slower than anticipated due to ongoing component and vendor challenges, which has already resulted in missed earn-out milestones and risks continued underperformance or delays; this could lead to persistent loss generation and negatively impact both near-term and long-term earnings growth.
- The company's significant growth in Peru relies on government contracts and large RFPs, but this business faces unpredictability from political changes, budget cycles, and delayed awards, exposing Gilat to volatile revenue streams and potential contract cancellations or delays that could adversely affect top-line growth and cash flow.
- The cellular backhaul market, a key traditional segment, is experiencing softness and lower RFP activity, attributed in part to market uncertainty around direct-to-device and LEO solutions, which may slow recovery and limit Gilat's revenue growth from this segment until new standards mature and demand stabilizes.
- Industry consolidation among major satellite operators (such as the SES-Intelsat merger) may result in greater bargaining power for customers, longer sales cycles, and potentially more aggressive pricing or contract terms, all of which could pressure Gilat's future revenue visibility and gross margins.
Valuation
How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?- The analysts have a consensus price target of $11.0 for Gilat Satellite Networks based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors.
- In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $648.6 million, earnings will come to $35.0 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 24.3x, assuming you use a discount rate of 10.6%.
- Given the current share price of $10.68, the analyst price target of $11.0 is 2.9% higher. The relatively low difference between the current share price and the analyst consensus price target indicates that they believe on average, the company is fairly priced.
- 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.
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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.

