Viasat shares fall as slowing fixed broadband hurts revenue outlook
May 21 (Reuters) -Viasat VSAT.O forecast annual revenue below Wall Street estimates in anticipation of a slowdown in its satellite services business, sending its shares down more than 11% after the bell on Tuesday.
The company said it expects revenue from its satellite services to decline in low to mid-single digits as its U.S. fixed broadband business faces competition from wireless carriers such as T-Mobile US TMUS.O that offers cheaper plans.
As a result, Viasat has been shifting its focus from fixed broadband to mobility business that provides satellite-based connectivity solutions to governments across sectors.
The company, which counts the U.S. government as a customer, had acquired British rival Inmarsat in a $7.3 billion deal last year, as it looks to broaden its satellite and land-based communications services.
However, an uncertain economy and intense competition from rival satellite service providers such as Starlink have weighed on Viasat.
Viasat President Guru Gowrappan told Reuters in an interview that governments are wary of relying on any one particular partner to avoid dependency and they like options.
The company competes with Intelsat, L3Harris Technologies LHX.N and EchoStar SATS.O among others in its government systems segment.
Viasat's quarterly government systems segment revenue rose 77% to $385.8 million from a year ago, while analysts were expecting $340 million.
It forecast revenue to be nearly flat for fiscal 2025 from a year earlier. Analysts were expecting a nearly 7% growth to $4.57 billion, according to LSEG data.
The satellite communications firm's fourth-quarter revenue came in at $1.15 billion, narrowly beating expectations of $1.09 billion.
It posted per-share loss of 80 cents compared with profit per share of $15.56 a year ago. Its quarterly net loss from continuing operations rose to $90 million from $62 million a year ago due to higher interest expense tied to Inmarsat deal.
Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi and Arun Koyyur
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
