

This surging stock could have more upside as SpaceX moves toward a possible 2026 IPO
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Surging EchoStar stock could have more upside if SpaceX ends up going public in 2026 at anything close to the reported $1.5 trillion valuation that the Elon Musk-controlled satellite, rocket, and space company could seek. EchoStar has become the top SpaceX proxy in the public markets since EchoStar sold wireless spectrum to SpaceX in two separate transactions in September and November for a package of cash and SpaceX stock.
EchoStar stock has more than tripled since the initial transaction in September, and the shares have gained 27% to $104.39 this week after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX could seek a $1.5 trillion valuation—the largest of any private company—in a potential 2026 IPO. Musk appeared to confirm plans for a 2026 IPO in a Wednesday post on X. Morgan Stanley analyst Ben Swinburne upgraded EchoStar to Overweight from Equal Weight on Wednesday with a price target of $110 and a bull-case scenario of $120 a share.
The math on EchoStar stock isn’t simple because the company has a market value of about $30 billion plus some $26 billion of debt. EchoStar stake in SpaceX represents a third of the market cap at current levels, but it’s become the driver of the stock. The calculations aren’t simple.
But here’s why the stock could head even higher. When EchoStar got the SpaceX stock, it was done at what the companies called a September 2025 valuation of SpaceX without specifying the level. EchoStar chairman and founder Charlie Ergen suggested on the November earnings conference call that the valuation was around $400 billion, in line with a private sale of SpaceX stock reported by The Wall Street Journal in the summer.
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