Horan launched coverage of ViaSat with an ‘Outperform’ rating and a $140 price target on Monday.
- Horan’s main reason for the bullish call is ViaSat’s valuable spectrum holdings.
- Horan estimates the spectrum alone is worth around $15 billion on a conservative basis, with recent deals suggesting it could be worth significantly more.
- VSAT’s rally on Monday was also spurred by broader excitement in the satellite sector sparked by the Iridium acquisition.
ViaSat (VSAT) stock surged 24% on Monday, closing sharply higher after Oppenheimer analyst Timothy Horan lauded the firm as “the last major global satellite spectrum play left.”
Horan launched coverage with an ‘Outperform’ rating and a $140 price target, representing a potential upside of about 83% from the stock's last close. Shares of the company clocked its best day since August 2025 on Monday.
Analyst Takeaway
Iridium Acquisition Optimism
The rally on Monday was also spurred by broader excitement in the satellite sector, sparked by the Iridium (IRDM) acquisition. Rocket Lab (RKLB) said earlier on Monday that it will acquire Iridium Communications in an $8-billion cash-and-stock deal. Under the terms, Iridium shareholders will receive $54 per share, including both cash and stock. The transaction, which is expected to close in mid-2027 pending regulatory approvals, will combine Rocket Lab’s launch and satellite manufacturing capabilities with Iridium’s global LEO constellation and spectrum assets to create a more vertically integrated space company.
Among other space stocks, AST SpaceMobile Inc (ASTS) closed 21% higher, Intuitive Machines (LUNR) closed up 6% and RKLB jumped 16%.
Other Recent Wins
ViaSat recently won a major contract from the U.S. Space Force in June 2026 to build and operate new military satellites. On the commercial side, the company successfully launched its ViaSat-3 F3 satellite in April 2026 aboard a SpaceX rocket. The satellite is now moving toward starting service in the Asia-Pacific region later this year, while ViaSat-3 F2 is also close to entering service. These satellites will significantly expand ViaSat’s global network capacity.
How Did VSAT Retail Traders React?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around VSAT stock jumped from ‘bearish’ to ‘neutral’ over the past 24 hours, while message volume rose from ‘low’ to ‘normal’ levels.
A Stocktwits user highlighted the rally around space stocks on Monday and noted that VSAT “stands out on the legacy satellite network side with aviation and government exposure.”
VSAT stock has gained 123% year-to-date.
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