What Happened?
Shares of global satellite communications provider Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT) jumped 21.6% in the afternoon session after sentiment improved following news of a major acquisition in the satellite communications sector involving competitor Iridium.
The stock moved as investors reacted to Rocket Lab's deal to acquire rival satellite operator Iridium. This acquisition highlights the fast-changing landscape in the satellite communications industry and raises questions about how Viasat will defend its market position. While such a deal could increase competitive pressure, the positive stock reaction suggests investors may see benefits in industry consolidation.
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What Is The Market Telling Us
Viasat’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 69 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for Viasat and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 18 days ago when the stock gained 12.4% on the news that the company announced it secured a major contract from the U.S. Space Force.
The contract is part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) program and involves building, launching, and operating the first satellite in a new fleet of small, maneuverable geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellites designed for military communications.
The award also covered associated ground infrastructure and five years of operational support. While the value of Viasat's specific award was not disclosed, the broader PTS-G program has a ceiling value of $4 billion across all participating contractors. Investors viewed the long-term government partnership as a strong revenue driver, boosting confidence in the company’s growth prospects.
Viasat is up 100% since the beginning of the year, but at $75.28 per share, it is still trading 13.2% below its 52-week high of $86.69 from May 2026. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Viasat’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,506.
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