EchoStar Corporation $SATS Shares Acquired by Diversified Trust Co.

Diversified Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) by 48.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 22,761 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,479 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in EchoStar were worth $2,474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators acquired a new stake in EchoStar during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton acquired a new position in EchoStar in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in EchoStar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of EchoStar by 79.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 838 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of EchoStar by 593.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 922 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 789 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.62% of the company’s stock.

EchoStar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting EchoStar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: S&P 500 inclusion should force index and ETF buying and raise the stock’s visibility — a structural demand boost that likely helped lift the share price. EchoStar Stock Is Now in the S&P 500. Elon Musk’s SpaceX Gave it a Boost.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors view EchoStar as a way to gain indirect exposure to SpaceX — EchoStar reportedly holds roughly $11B (about 2.8% of SpaceX) in stock acquired through spectrum sales — spurring thematic buying ahead of an expected SpaceX IPO. 3 Stocks to Buy ASAP Before SpaceX Goes Public
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short-interest notices report a “large increase” but show zero shares/NaN changes — this appears to be a data anomaly rather than confirmed new shorting pressure; monitor for corrected filings but current data don’t indicate a material short squeeze threat or new bearish force.
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet and profitability metrics remain concerns: high debt-to-equity (~3.21), low quick and current ratios (~0.38/0.42) and a negative P/E — these fundamentals increase financial risk and could cap upside if investor enthusiasm fades.

EchoStar Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of SATS stock opened at $110.84 on Wednesday. EchoStar Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $14.90 and a fifty-two week high of $132.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $114.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.42.

Insider Activity at EchoStar

In other news, CEO Hamid Akhavan sold 71,005 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.52, for a total transaction of $7,634,457.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 823,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,520,463.36. This represents a 7.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO John Swieringa sold 50,088 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.58, for a total value of $5,688,995.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 253,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,796,505.30. The trade was a 16.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 55.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on SATS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of EchoStar from $97.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of EchoStar in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on EchoStar from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on EchoStar from $111.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of EchoStar in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.17.

About EchoStar

EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a global provider of satellite communication solutions, offering a suite of broadband and video delivery services to consumer, enterprise and government customers. The company operates two principal business segments: Broadband and Video. Through its Broadband segment, EchoStar delivers high-speed satellite internet access, managed network services and ground infrastructure for residential, commercial and rural markets. Its Video segment provides satellite fleet operations, teleport facilities and capacity-leasing services to video distributors and content providers.

In the Broadband segment, EchoStar’s Hughes Network Systems division designs and manufactures satellite broadband equipment, including user terminals and gateways, and develops advanced network management technologies.