Iridium’s first quarter results were met with a negative market reaction, as management highlighted new U.S. tariffs and ongoing equipment cost pressures that introduced added uncertainty into the business. CEO Matt Desch pointed out that “the new tariff levels announced a few weeks ago that were implemented and then largely suspended have created more uncertainty than we had anticipated, particularly around equipment expense.” Despite these challenges, Iridium continued to see service revenue expand, driven by subscriber growth and positive momentum in IoT and Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) offerings.
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Iridium (IRDM) Q1 CY2025 Highlights:
- Revenue: $214.9 million vs analyst estimates of $213.4 million (5.4% year-on-year growth, 0.7% beat)
- Adjusted EPS: $0.27 vs analyst expectations of $0.28 (3.6% miss)
- Adjusted EBITDA: $122.1 million vs analyst estimates of $119.1 million (56.8% margin, 2.5% beat)
- EBITDA guidance for the full year is $495 million at the midpoint, in line with analyst expectations
- Operating Margin: 28.1%, up from 24.4% in the same quarter last year
- Subscribers: 1.89 million
- Market Capitalization: $3.18 billion
While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention.
Our Top 5 Analyst Questions Iridium’s Q1 Earnings Call
- Ric Prentiss (Raymond James): Asked how tariffs could impact subscriber growth and service revenue longer term. CEO Matt Desch replied that, historically, Iridium’s demand has proven resilient during economic shocks, and no material demand shifts are expected at this time.
- Ric Prentiss (Raymond James): Questioned the rationale behind recent government subscriber declines. Desch explained this related to standard government device management practices and not to broader spending cuts.
- Edison Yu (Deutsche Bank): Sought clarification on the timing and magnitude of tariff impacts. Desch clarified that current cost estimates cover most of the year, and that future impacts would depend on policy developments.
- Colin Canfield (Cantor): Asked about Iridium’s true exposure to government contracts. Desch estimated direct government business at roughly 20% of revenue but noted that indirect government use within commercial lines is harder to quantify.
- Louie DiPalma (William Blair): Inquired about the outlook for IoT subscriber growth following partner plan changes. Desch expects positive net IoT subscriber additions to resume as the transition concludes, with the full effect seen by 2026.
Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters
Looking ahead, the StockStory team will be watching (1) the effectiveness of Iridium’s tariff mitigation strategies and any further developments in global trade policy, (2) the launch timeline and initial adoption of Iridium NTN Direct and expanded PNT services, and (3) stabilization in the broadband segment as new Certus GMDSS terminals become available. Progress in these areas will be key signposts for Iridium’s growth trajectory.
Iridium currently trades at $29.43, up from $23.22 just before the earnings. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? See for yourself in our full research report (it’s free).
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