FourThought Financial Partners LLC Makes New Investment in EchoStar Corporation $SATS

FourThought Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,301 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators bought a new position in EchoStar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of EchoStar in the second quarter worth $73,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of EchoStar by 55.4% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,515 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 33.62% of the company’s stock.

EchoStar Stock Down 1.3%

SATS stock opened at $108.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $31.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.16 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $115.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.93. EchoStar Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $14.90 and a fifty-two week high of $132.25.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of EchoStar in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of EchoStar in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of EchoStar from $111.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of EchoStar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of EchoStar from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO John Swieringa sold 50,088 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 253,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,796,505.30. This trade represents a 16.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Hamid Akhavan sold 285,832 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.33, for a total transaction of $30,106,684.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 376,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,688,870.65. This trade represents a 43.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 406,925 shares of company stock worth $43,430,137. 55.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting EchoStar

Here are the key news stories impacting EchoStar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: S&P 500 inclusion should support demand from index funds and boost liquidity as SATS joins the benchmark. Inclusion often creates one-time buying pressure and higher institutional interest. S&P Rebalance Article
• Positive Sentiment: Operational catalysts remain: coverage highlights the upcoming Falcon 9 launch (EchoStar XXV) and recent spectrum sale that could materially reshape revenue/timing of cash flows — potential upside if launches and spectrum monetization proceed as planned. Falcon 9 / Valuation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and timing debate: commentary asks whether SATS is too late to buy after a multi-year rally, signaling mixed analyst views that could keep volatility elevated. Is It Too Late Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures in recent filings show zero shares/NaN changes — likely a reporting/data anomaly; this makes short-interest signals unreliable for now. Short Interest Note
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Hamid Akhavan sold 71,005 shares (~$7.63M) on March 6, reducing his stake by about 7.94%; insider selling of this size can weigh on sentiment even if the insider retains a large holding. See the SEC filing. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: EchoStar COO also executed a multi-million dollar sale ($5.69M), adding to the insider selling narrative that may pressure the stock in the near term. COO Sale Article
• Negative Sentiment: Gray Media’s blackout of 226 local channels is disrupting DISH TV customers nationwide; while this directly impacts DISH, the outage can create negative sentiment across the satellite/pay-TV ecosystem and could be a short-term headwind for companies tied to pay-TV distribution. Gray Media Blackout

EchoStar Company Profile

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.