One mobile co. is spending, and another may be thinking about it.And more info-
“Because we do not currently have committed financing to fund our operations for at least twelve months … substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern,” EchoStar said in the 10-Q. “We do not currently have the necessary cash on hand and/or projected future cash flows to fund fourth quarter operations or the November 2024 debt maturity.”
This part tell me they have given up on a investor and begging those who hold the debt-
CEO Hamid Akhavan said the company is working on a number of avenues to refinance its obligations and improve its cash position. “We have fielded a variety of offers and are pursuing those which can support our long term objectives,” he told investors on May 8. “The complex and delicate nature of this process demands time and confidentiality. We will certainly have more to share in due course.”
“Candidly, can we push the maturities out? We’re very bullish about our prospects of our operating business if we have the capital to execute,” Akhavan said. “While we’re working on that financing, we’re not sitting on our hands and letting opportunities expire. We continue to develop them, so hopefully post-challenges on financing, we will have a good business to go forward.”
Akhavan told investors that he sees significant asset value on the balance sheet, relative to the company’s liabilities. He estimated that company’s spectrum ownership is worth “far more than the value of the obligations we have.” He said EchoStar is working to capitalize on the value of its asset to debt and turn it into liquidity to execute the company’s business.
The problem with the above is Dish/Echostar cannot do anything till 2026 and they need someone they will want what they are offering.
Telecommunications analyst Craig Moffett said in a research note on Wednesday that filing for bankruptcy in the next four to six months is now “the most likely outcome” for EchoStar.
And while EchoStar’s spectrum is “enormously valuable,” Moffett said that likely buyers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile do not look to be in a position to spend aggressively on new spectrum. Moffett noted that both AT&T and Verizon have investment grade credit ratings, but have debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratios that are above investment grade guidelines. Both have also teased share repurchases.
“The intrinsic value of Dish’s assets in a bankruptcy liquidation is inarguably very high. Whether they could fetch anything like intrinsic value, however, is less clear,” Moffett wrote. “There are only three potential bidders, two of whom have badly overburdened balance sheets. There is no longer Dish itself as the marginal bidder. And the time value of money is a real consideration; a liquidation would potentially take a very long time. In fact, it’s not even clear that spectrum sales of any size would be allowed.”
EchoStar Continues to Shed Subscribers Amid Cash Crunch, Analyst Predicts Bankruptcy
EchoStar Corporation reported an 8.5% revenue decline in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the prior year, with subscriber declines in pay-TV, retailwww.satellitetoday.com