Iridium Announces Record Third-Quarter 2024 Results; Improves 2024 OEBITDA Outlook
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) reported record third-quarter 2024 results with net income of $24.4 million ($0.21 per diluted share) and record Operational EBITDA of $124.4 million. Total revenue increased 8% year-over-year to $212.8 million, driven by 5% growth in service revenue to $159.9 million. The company ended Q3 with 2,482,000 total billable subscribers, up 11% year-over-year.
Key highlights include:
- Commercial service revenue up 6% to $133.3 million
- Government service revenue stable at $26.5 million
- Equipment revenue up 9% to $22.2 million
- Engineering & support revenue up 22% to $30.7 million
Iridium updated its 2024 outlook, expecting total service revenue growth of approximately 5% and OEBITDA between $465-$470 million. The company also expanded its share repurchase program by $500 million through 2027.
- Record Q3 2024 results with net income of $24.4 million, up from a net loss in Q3 2023
- Record Operational EBITDA of $124.4 million in Q3 2024
- Total revenue increased 8% year-over-year to $212.8 million
- Service revenue grew 5% to $159.9 million
- Total billable subscribers up 11% year-over-year to 2,482,000
- Commercial IoT data revenue up 14% year-over-year
- Equipment revenue up 9% to $22.2 million
- Engineering & support revenue up 22% to $30.7 million
- Board authorized additional $500 million for share repurchases through 2027
- Improved 2024 OEBITDA outlook to $465-$470 million
- Commercial broadband revenue down 1% year-over-year
- Government IoT data subscribers decreased 4% year-over-year
- Net leverage increased to 3.5 times trailing twelve months OEBITDA
Insights
Iridium's Q3 2024 results demonstrate solid financial performance and growth. Key highlights include:
- Record revenue of
$212.8 million , up8% year-over-year - Net income of
$24.4 million , compared to a net loss in Q3 2023 - Record OEBITDA of
$124.4 million - Total billable subscribers grew
11% to 2,482,000 - Commercial IoT data revenue up
14%
The company's improved 2024 OEBITDA outlook and continued share repurchases signal confidence in future performance. The
Iridium's Q3 results highlight its strong position in the satellite communications market. The
The
Iridium's government business remains stable, with the EMSS Contract providing a solid foundation. The increase in engineering and support revenue, particularly from the Space Development Agency contract, indicates potential for expansion in government-related services. The company's ongoing investment in its satellite network and new services like Iridium Certus positions it well for future growth in the evolving satellite communications landscape.
Iridium reported record third-quarter total revenue of
The Company ended the quarter with 2,482,000 total billable subscribers, which compares to 2,236,000 for the year-ago period and is up from 2,413,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. Total billable subscribers grew
"Robust revenue and subscriber growth in the third quarter continued to support Iridium's shareholder-friendly activities and ongoing capital returns. Since 2021, Iridium has returned over
Iridium Business Highlights
Service – Commercial
Commercial service remained the largest part of Iridium's business, representing
- Commercial service revenue was
, up$133.3 million 6% from last year's comparable period primarily due to continued growth in IoT data and voice and data services.- Commercial voice and data: Revenue was
, up$57.7 million 3% from the year-ago period. Subscribers grew3% from the year-ago period to 422,000. Average revenue per user ("ARPU") was during the third quarter, unchanged from the prior year period.$46 - Commercial IoT data: Revenue was
, up$43.7 million 14% from the year-ago period. Subscribers grew14% from the year-ago period to 1,902,000 customers, driven by continued growth in consumer personal communications devices and commercial users. ARPU was in the third quarter, compared to$7.79 in the prior year period.$7.90 - Commercial broadband: Revenue was
, down$15.5 million 1% from in the year-ago period due to the transition of our maritime user base to a companion service for VSAT solutions. ARPU was$15.8 million during the third quarter, compared to$309 in the prior year period.$322 - Hosted payload and other data service: Revenue was
, up$16.4 million 9% from in the year-ago period. The increase reflected higher revenue from other data services, including from Iridium's growing PNT services, which more than offset a year-over-year decrease in hosted payload revenue recognition related to the extension in the estimated useful lives of Iridium's satellites.$15.0 million
- Commercial voice and data: Revenue was
- Iridium's commercial business ended the quarter with 2,341,000 billable subscribers, which compares to 2,094,000 for the prior-year quarter and is up from 2,271,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. IoT data subscribers represented
81% of billable commercial subscribers at the end of the quarter, an increase from80% at the end of the corresponding prior-year period.
Service –
Iridium's voice and data solutions improve situational awareness for military personnel and track critical assets in tough environments around the globe, providing a unique value proposition that is not easily duplicated.
Under Iridium's Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services contract (the "EMSS Contract"), a seven-year,
- Government service revenue remained relatively unchanged from the prior-year quarter at
in the third quarter. On September 15, 2024, the EMSS Contract's annual rate increased to$26.5 million , reflecting a previously negotiated contractual step up.$107 million - Iridium's
U.S. government business ended the quarter with 141,000 subscribers, which compares to 142,000 at each of the prior-year quarter and the quarter ended June 30, 2024. The Company expects subscriber count to be variable due to the nature of this fixed-price contract. Government voice and data subscribers increased3% from the year-ago period to 63,000 as of September 30, 2024. Government IoT data subscribers decreased4% year-over-year and represented55% of government subscribers at quarter-end.
Equipment
- Equipment revenue was
in the third quarter, up$22.2 million 9% compared to in the prior-year quarter.$20.4 million - In 2024, the Company expects equipment sales to be lower than 2023 and more in line with periods prior to 2022.
Engineering & Support
- Engineering and support revenue was
during the third quarter, up$30.7 million 22% compared to in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to a rise in activity with the$25.2 million U.S. government. - In 2024, the Company expects engineering and support revenue to increase from 2023 with expanded work on the Space Development Agency contract.
Capital expenditures were
Iridium paid a dividend of
During the quarter, the Company repurchased approximately 4.7 million shares of its common stock, or
2024 Outlook and Longer-Term Outlook
The Company updated its full-year 2024 outlook:
- Total service revenue growth of approximately
5% for full-year 2024. Total service revenue for 2023 was . (Previous guidance was for total service revenue growth between$584.5 million 4% and6% for full-year 2024.) - Full-year 2024 OEBITDA between
and$465 million . OEBITDA for 2023 was$470 million . (Previous guidance was for full-year 2024 OEBITDA of between$463.1 million and$460 million .)$470 million - Cash taxes of less than
per year from 2024 through 2026. We expect that the longer-term cash tax rate will move closer to the statutory rate in 2028.$10 million - Net leverage below 4.0 times OEBITDA through 2026 and falling below 2.0 times OEBITDA by the end of the decade, assuming ongoing execution of the Company's share repurchase authorization and the payment of quarterly dividends consistent with the current level. Net leverage was 3.1 times OEBITDA at December 31, 2023.
(1) Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Definitions
In addition to disclosing financial results that are determined in accordance with
Iridium Communications Inc. | ||||||||
Supplemental Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income (Loss) to Operational EBITDA | ||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||
GAAP net income (loss) | $ 24,446 | $ (1,642) | $ 76,435 | $ (22,608) | ||||
Interest expense, net | 24,246 | 34,660 | 68,706 | 71,273 | ||||
Income tax (benefit) expense | 6,005 | (6,009) | 18,501 | (16,673) | ||||
Depreciation and amortization | 51,160 | 76,825 | 151,680 | 267,213 | ||||
Share-based compensation | 17,678 | 15,943 | 51,026 | 45,500 | ||||
Acquisition and related costs(1) | 410 | — | 2,785 | — | ||||
(Gain) loss, net on equity method investments | 467 | 1,489 | (15,664) | 4,321 | ||||
Operational EBITDA | $ 124,412 | $ 121,266 | $ 353,469 | $ 349,026 |
(1) | Represents direct costs incurred in connection with the negotiation, consummation and integration of acquisition transactions, whether or not actually completed. These costs generally include legal and advisory fees, severance and other related costs. |
Conference Call Information
As previously announced, the Company will host a conference call to discuss its results at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 17, 2024. Callers should dial 1-412-902-6740 to access the call. The conference call will also be simultaneously webcast on Iridium's Investor Relations webpage at www.iridium.com. An archive of the webcast will be available following the live conference call.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium® is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations, and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. In 2024, Iridium acquired Satelles, Inc. and announced the Iridium Satellite Time and Location service. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Iridium's expectations with respect to total service revenue growth, OEBITDA and cash taxes for 2024; cash taxes and net leverage over the long term; anticipated equipment sales and engineering and support service revenue for 2024; amount and timing of share repurchases, the payment of dividends, expected revenues from its EMSS contract with the
Iridium Communications Inc. | ||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations | ||||
(In thousands) | ||||
Three Months Ended September 30, | ||||
2024 | 2023 | |||
Revenue | ||||
Service revenue | ||||
Commercial | $ 133,309 | $ 125,450 | ||
Government | 26,546 | 26,500 | ||
Total service revenue | 159,855 | 151,950 | ||
Subscriber equipment | 22,169 | 20,422 | ||
Engineering and support service | 30,747 | 25,230 | ||
Total revenue | 212,771 | 197,602 | ||
Operating expenses | ||||
Cost of services (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) | 43,848 | 41,394 | ||
Cost of subscriber equipment sales | 12,769 | 12,823 | ||
Research and development | 6,189 | 5,037 | ||
Selling, general and administrative | 43,953 | 33,368 | ||
Depreciation and amortization | 51,160 | 76,825 | ||
Total operating expenses | 157,919 | 169,447 | ||
Operating income (loss) | 54,852 | 28,155 | ||
Other income (expense), net | ||||
Interest expense, net | (24,246) | (34,660) | ||
Other income, net | 312 | 343 | ||
Total other expense, net | (23,934) | (34,317) | ||
Income (loss) before income taxes and loss on equity method investments | 30,918 | (6,162) | ||
Income tax benefit (expense) | (6,005) | 6,009 | ||
Loss on equity method investments | (467) | (1,489) | ||
Net income (loss) | $ 24,446 | $ (1,642) | ||
Operational EBITDA | $ 124,412 | $ 121,266 |
Iridium Communications Inc. | ||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations | ||||
(In thousands) | ||||
Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||
2024 | 2023 | |||
Revenue | ||||
Service revenue | ||||
Commercial | $ 381,353 | $ 356,941 | ||
Government | 79,546 | 79,500 | ||
Total service revenue | 460,899 | 436,441 | ||
Subscriber equipment | 69,819 | 89,474 | ||
Engineering and support service | 86,973 | 70,068 | ||
Total revenue | 617,691 | 595,983 | ||
Operating expenses | ||||
Cost of services (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) | 129,761 | 113,431 | ||
Cost of subscriber equipment sales | 40,595 | 56,075 | ||
Research and development | 19,899 | 14,541 | ||
Selling, general and administrative | 127,487 | 109,391 | ||
Depreciation and amortization | 151,680 | 267,213 | ||
Total operating expenses | 469,422 | 560,651 | ||
Operating income | 148,269 | 35,332 | ||
Other expense, net | ||||
Interest expense, net | (68,706) | (71,273) | ||
Other income (expense), net | (291) | 981 | ||
Total other expense, net | (68,997) | (70,292) | ||
Income (loss) before income taxes | 79,272 | (34,960) | ||
Income tax benefit (expense) | (18,501) | 16,673 | ||
Gain (loss), net on equity method investments | 15,664 | (4,321) | ||
Net income (loss) | $ 76,435 | $ (22,608) | ||
Operational EBITDA | $ 353,469 | $ 349,026 |
Iridium Communications Inc. | |||||||||||
Summary Revenue and OEBITDA Highlights | |||||||||||
(In thousands) | |||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | % Change | 2024 | 2023 | % Change | ||||||
Revenue | |||||||||||
Service revenue(1) | |||||||||||
Commercial service revenue | |||||||||||
Voice and data | $ 57,693 | $ 56,188 | 3 % | $ 169,125 | $ 163,593 | 3 % | |||||
IoT data(2) | 43,695 | 38,460 | 14 % | 124,759 | 104,971 | 19 % | |||||
Broadband(3) | 15,549 | 15,782 | (1) % | 42,719 | 43,258 | (1) % | |||||
Hosted payload and other data service(4) | 16,372 | 15,020 | 9 % | 44,750 | 45,119 | (1) % | |||||
Total commercial service revenue | 133,309 | 125,450 | 6 % | 381,353 | 356,941 | 7 % | |||||
Government service revenue(5) | 26,546 | 26,500 | — % | 79,546 | 79,500 | — % | |||||
Total service revenue | 159,855 | 151,950 | 5 % | 460,899 | 436,441 | 6 % | |||||
Subscriber equipment | 22,169 | 20,422 | 9 % | 69,819 | 89,474 | (22) % | |||||
Engineering and support(6) | |||||||||||
Commercial | 1,731 | 1,881 | (8) % | 4,404 | 9,304 | (53) % | |||||
Government | 29,016 | 23,349 | 24 % | 82,569 | 60,764 | 36 % | |||||
Total engineering and support | 30,747 | 25,230 | 22 % | 86,973 | 70,068 | 24 % | |||||
Total revenue | $ 212,771 | $ 197,602 | 8 % | $ 617,691 | $ 595,983 | 4 % | |||||
Operational EBITDA | |||||||||||
Operational EBITDA | $ 124,412 | $ 121,266 | 3 % | $ 353,469 | $ 349,026 | 1 % | |||||
Other | |||||||||||
Capital expenditures(7) | $ 18,616 | $ 11,998 | $ 45,622 | $ 57,285 | |||||||
Net debt(8) | $ 1,652,722 | ||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities | $ 159,588 | $ 67,877 | |||||||||
Term Loan, gross | $ 1,812,310 | ||||||||||
Deferred financing costs | (17,537) | (18,076) | |||||||||
Term Loan, net | $ 1,794,773 |
(1) | Service revenue consists of primarily subscription-based services which often generate a long-term recurring revenue stream from subscribers. |
(2) | IoT data service provides a two-way short burst data transmission between Iridium's network and a telemetry unit, which may be located, for example, on a container in transit or a buoy monitoring oceanographic conditions. |
(3) | Broadband is comprised of Iridium OpenPort® and Iridium Certus. |
(4) | Hosted payload and other services consist primarily of services that do not have traditional billable subscribers. Hosted payload services consist of hosting and data services to our payload customers, Aireon and Harris. Other services include primarily Iridium's one-way satellite timing, location, and authentication services (STL) which provides position, navigation and timing technology. |
(5) | Government service revenue consists of voice and IoT data subscription-based services provided to agencies of the |
(6) | Engineering and support includes maintenance services to the |
(7) | Capital expenditures based on cash spent in the respective period. |
(8) | Net debt is calculated by taking the sum of the gross Term Loan and gross drawn Revolving Facility, less cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. |
Iridium Communications Inc. | |||||||||||
Subscriber Highlights | |||||||||||
(In thousands, except ARPU) | |||||||||||
As of September 30, | |||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | % Change | |||||||||
Billable Subscribers (1) (2) | |||||||||||
Commercial | |||||||||||
Voice and data, IoT data and Broadband service | |||||||||||
Voice and data | 422 | 410 | 3 % | ||||||||
IoT data | 1,902 | 1,667 | 14 % | ||||||||
Broadband (3) | 16.7 | 16.5 | 1 % | ||||||||
Total commercial voice and data, IoT data and Broadband service | 2,341 | 2,094 | 12 % | ||||||||
Government | |||||||||||
Voice and data and IoT data service | |||||||||||
Voice and data | 63 | 61 | 3 % | ||||||||
IoT data | 78 | 81 | (4) % | ||||||||
Total government voice and data and IoT data service | 141 | 142 | (1) % | ||||||||
Total billable subscribers | 2,482 | 2,236 | 11 % | ||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | % Change | 2024 | 2023 | % Change | ||||||
Net Billable Subscriber Additions | |||||||||||
Commercial | |||||||||||
Voice and data. IoT data and Broadband service | |||||||||||
Voice and data | 5 | 5 | — % | 14 | 13 | 8 % | |||||
IoT data | 65 | 89 | (27) % | 193 | 219 | (12) % | |||||
Broadband | (0.1) | 0.4 | (125) % | 0.1 | 1.5 | (93) % | |||||
Total commercial voice and data, IoT data and Broadband service | 70 | 94 | (26) % | 207 | 233 | (11) % | |||||
Government | |||||||||||
Voice and data and IoT data service | |||||||||||
Voice and data | — | 1 | (100) % | 1 | 1 | — % | |||||
IoT data | (1) | — | NM | (5) | 2 | (350) % | |||||
Total government voice and data and IoT data service | (1) | 1 | (200) % | (4) | 3 | (233) % | |||||
Total net billable subscriber additions | 69 | 95 | (28) % | 203 | 236 | (14) % | |||||
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | % Change | 2024 | 2023 | % Change | ||||||
ARPU (2) (4) | |||||||||||
Commercial | |||||||||||
Voice and data | $ 46 | $ 46 | — % | $ 45 | $ 45 | — % | |||||
IoT data | $ 7.79 | $ 7.90 | (1) % | $ 7.68 | $ 7.49 | 3 % | |||||
Broadband | $ 309 | $ 322 | (4) % | $ 284 | $ 305 | (7) % |
(1) | Subscribers as of the end of the respective period. |
(2) | Billable subscriber and ARPU data is not applicable for Hosted payload and other data service revenue items and is excluded from presentation above. |
(3) | Broadband is comprised of Iridium OpenPort® and Iridium Certus. |
(4) | Average monthly revenue per unit, or ARPU, is calculated by dividing revenue in the respective period by the average of the number of billable subscribers at the beginning of the period and the number of billable subscribers at the end of the period and then dividing the result by the number of months in the period. |
Investor Contact: | Press Contact: |
Kenneth Levy | Jordan Hassin |
Iridium Communications Inc. | Iridium Communications Inc. |
+1 (703) 287-7570 | +1 (703) 287-7421 |
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SOURCE Iridium Communications Inc.
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