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NATO And NASA Funding Will Enable In-Space Manufacturing

Published
22 Apr 25
Updated
25 Nov 25
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AnalystConsensusTarget's Fair Value
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1Y
-60.9%
7D
-1.5%

Author's Valuation

US$13.2259.2% undervalued intrinsic discount

AnalystConsensusTarget Fair Value

Last Update 25 Nov 25

Fair value Decreased 23%

RDW: Rebounding Government Orders Will Drive Upside Potential By Early 2026

Redwire's analyst price target experienced a significant decrease, moving from approximately $17.17 to $13.22. Analysts cite near-term industry headwinds, lower revenue growth expectations, and challenges related to demand and government operations.

Analyst Commentary

Recent analyst reactions to Redwire's performance and outlook reflect a mix of caution and optimism regarding the company's future valuation, business execution, and growth prospects. While some have maintained positive long-term views, multiple price target reductions highlight ongoing concerns within the sector.

Bullish Takeaways

  • Bullish analysts retain a Buy rating, noting that much of the negative news may already be reflected in Redwire's significantly lower share price. This could potentially offer an attractive entry point as the industry stabilizes.
  • There is encouragement drawn from “solid” bookings across Redwire’s five growth segments. This suggests the company continues to capture business opportunities despite industry headwinds.
  • Confidence remains that visibility into government space programs will return in early 2026, supporting the potential for a rebound in growth.
  • The industry’s ongoing consolidation is viewed as presenting an opportunity for Redwire, provided the company can drive effective integration and maintain strategic vision.

Bearish Takeaways

  • Bearish analysts express concerns about lower near-term revenue growth, with Redwire’s recent quarterly performance missing consensus estimates and guidance indicating a flat outlook.
  • Weaker demand trends, particularly in the space infrastructure segment, and program delays in related areas have led to reduced expectations for future bookings and growth.
  • Uncertainty related to government operations, including recent and potential future shutdowns, clouds the near-term outlook and could further suppress visibility into key space programs.
  • The firm’s execution is seen as highly dependent on strategic integration and adaptability within a consolidating industry. This creates competition in the push toward a winner-take-most environment.

What's in the News

  • Redwire secured a $44 million phase 2 contract from DARPA to advance the Otter Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) mission. The goal is to demonstrate the world's first air-breathing spacecraft and strengthen its next-generation orbital capabilities. (Key Developments)
  • The company opened an 85,000 square foot facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan to scale up production of fuel cells for its uncrewed aerial systems. This expansion increases its manufacturing capacity and presence in the region. (Key Developments)
  • The company filed a $250 million Follow-on Equity Offering to raise additional capital through an at-the-market offering of common stock. (Key Developments)
  • Issued 2025 revenue guidance of $320 million to $340 million. The company cited delayed government orders due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. (Key Developments)
  • The company announced the upcoming retirement of CFO Jonathan Baliff. Chris Edmunds is set to succeed him, effective November 30, 2025. (Key Developments)

Valuation Changes

  • Consensus Analyst Price Target has fallen significantly, dropping from $17.17 to $13.22.
  • Discount Rate has risen slightly, increasing from 7.93% to 8.01%.
  • Revenue Growth expectation has decreased substantially, moving from 45.69% to 34.77%.
  • Net Profit Margin has edged down marginally, from 8.48% to 8.44%.
  • Future P/E ratio has climbed modestly, changing from 52.79x to 55.02x.

Key Takeaways

  • Expansion into defense, commercial space, and new high-margin products strengthens revenue stability, long-term growth, and market diversity.
  • Strategic acquisitions and ongoing innovation reduce risk exposure and enhance competitive positioning through proprietary technologies and differentiated offerings.
  • Heavy dependence on volatile government contracts, risky large projects, costly acquisitions, and uncertain new ventures threaten earnings reliability and market competitiveness.

Catalysts

About Redwire
    Provides critical space solutions and space infrastructure for government and commercial customers in the United States, Europe, and internationally.
What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
  • Redwire is positioned to benefit from accelerated global investment in space exploration and defense, evidenced by new commitments from NATO allies, significant funding initiatives in the U.S. (such as Golden Dome and NASA Gateway), and increasing space budgets in allied countries-these trends are likely to drive robust top-line revenue growth and future contract backlogs.
  • The rapid proliferation of commercial satellites and upcoming public/private low Earth orbit projects continues to build demand for Redwire's advanced in-space manufacturing, deployable structures, and subsystems, supporting multi-year visibility on high-margin product sales and recurring earnings.
  • The creation and commercialization of SpaceMD and PIL-BOX for space-based pharmaceuticals, along with royalty-based agreements, open up new high-growth, high-margin revenue streams that diversify Redwire's business model and enhance long-term earnings quality.
  • The acquisition of Edge Autonomy and subsequent integration diversify Redwire's exposure away from riskier fixed-price development contracts into mature production-phase businesses (notably in uncrewed aerial systems), improving gross margins, balancing revenue cycles, and reducing earnings volatility.
  • Ongoing innovation in 3D printing, microgravity research, and in-situ resource utilization technologies strengthens Redwire's competitive positioning, enabling higher-margin proprietary offerings, greater differentiation in bid pipelines, and the potential for sustainable market share gains and margin expansion.

Redwire Earnings and Revenue Growth

Redwire Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

How have these above catalysts been quantified?
  • Analysts are assuming Redwire's revenue will grow by 50.3% annually over the next 3 years.
  • Analysts are not forecasting that Redwire will become profitable in next 3 years. To represent the Analyst Price Target as a Future PE Valuation we will estimate Redwire's profit margin will increase from -95.5% to the average US Aerospace & Defense industry of 8.2% in 3 years.
  • If Redwire's profit margin were to converge on the industry average, you could expect earnings to reach $73.2 million (and earnings per share of $0.42) by about September 2028, up from $-249.5 million today. The analysts are largely in agreement about this estimate.
  • In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 54.7x on those 2028 earnings, up from -4.8x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the US Aerospace & Defense industry at 34.4x.
  • Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to grow by 7.0% per year for the next 3 years.
  • To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 7.99%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Redwire Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Redwire Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?
  • Persistent volatility and delays in U.S. government contracting and budget processes, as well as uncertainty in international defense awards, are causing revenue recognition to shift unpredictably, risking revenue growth and earnings visibility.
  • Significant reliance on large, complex fixed price development contracts exposes Redwire to Estimate at Completion (EAC) volatility, technical cost overruns, and first-of-a-kind engineering risks, which can cause sharp drops in net margins and periodic losses.
  • The recent Edge Autonomy acquisition, while strategic, entailed substantial transaction, integration, and non-routine expenses, raising risk that ongoing M&A activity may result in persistent elevation of SG&A costs, unexpected charges, and potential for goodwill impairments that negatively impact net income.
  • Intense competition and rapid technical change in key focus areas like in-space manufacturing and defense UAS raise the threat that larger, better-capitalized or more agile competitors could outpace Redwire in proprietary IP development, undermining market differentiation and compressing gross margins.
  • Expansion into drug development in microgravity via SpaceMD adds uncertainty due to unproven business models and dependence on new commercial partnerships and royalty streams, which may not mature as projected, thereby risking sustainable revenue and future earnings contribution.

Valuation

How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?
  • The analysts have a consensus price target of $18.056 for Redwire based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $28.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $10.0.
  • In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $887.3 million, earnings will come to $73.2 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 54.7x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.0%.
  • Given the current share price of $8.32, the analyst price target of $18.06 is 53.9% higher.
  • We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.

How well do narratives help inform your perspective?

Disclaimer

AnalystConsensusTarget is a tool utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) that ingests data on consensus price targets, forecasted revenue and earnings figures, as well as the transcripts of earnings calls to produce qualitative analysis. The narratives produced by AnalystConsensusTarget are general in nature and are based solely on analyst data and publicly-available material published by the respective companies. These scenarios are not indicative of the company's future performance and are exploratory in nature. Simply Wall St has no position in the company(s) mentioned. Simply Wall St may provide the securities issuer or related entities with website advertising services for a fee, on an arm's length basis. These relationships have no impact on the way we conduct our business, the content we host, or how our content is served to users. The price targets and estimates used are consensus data, and do not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and they do not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Note that AnalystConsensusTarget's analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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