Diversified Trust Co. Raises Stock Position in EchoStar Corporation $SATS

Diversified Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) by 48.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,761 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,479 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in EchoStar were worth $2,474,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SATS. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of EchoStar by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,805 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 1,511 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in EchoStar by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 72,482 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,854,000 after acquiring an additional 3,199 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in EchoStar by 8.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 331,476 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,479,000 after acquiring an additional 24,749 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in EchoStar in the first quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in EchoStar in the second quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 33.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of EchoStar in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of EchoStar from $97.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of EchoStar from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $110.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of EchoStar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of EchoStar from $111.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, EchoStar has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.17.

EchoStar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SATS opened at $110.84 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 1.01. EchoStar Corporation has a 52 week low of $14.90 and a 52 week high of $132.25.

Insider Transactions at EchoStar

In other news, CEO Hamid Akhavan sold 71,005 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 823,293 shares in the company, valued at $88,520,463.36. The trade was a 7.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO John Swieringa sold 50,088 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $28,796,505.30. This trade represents a 16.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 55.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.