IRDM vs. HEI

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and HEICO Corporation (HEI).

Performance

IRDM vs. HEI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and HEICO Corporation (HEI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IRDM vs. HEI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IRDM Iridium Communications Inc.	60.58%	-38.51%	-28.09%	-19.10%	24.49%	5.00%	59.60%	33.55%	56.36%	22.92%
HEI HEICO Corporation	-15.23%	36.22%	33.05%	16.56%	6.67%	9.06%	16.16%	47.54%	28.51%	53.04%

Fundamentals

Market Cap IRDM : $2.91B HEI : $38.67B
EPS IRDM : $1.07 HEI : $5.06
PE Ratio IRDM : 25.83 HEI : 54.22
PEG Ratio IRDM : 0.15 HEI : 2.44
PS Ratio IRDM : 3.39 HEI : 8.34
PB Ratio IRDM : 6.28 HEI : 7.66
Total Revenue (TTM) IRDM : $871.66M HEI : $4.63B
Gross Profit (TTM) IRDM : $479.77M HEI : $1.41B
EBITDA (TTM) IRDM : $450.05M HEI : $1.21B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IRDM achieves a 60.58% return, which is significantly higher than HEI's -15.23% return. Over the past 10 years, IRDM has underperformed HEI with an annualized return of 14.02%, while HEI has yielded a comparatively higher 24.70% annualized return.

IRDM

• 1D: 3.47%
• 1M: 16.53%
• YTD: 60.58%
• 6M: 61.13%
• 1Y: 4.35%
• 3Y*: -21.94%
• 5Y*: -5.99%
• 10Y*: 14.02%

HEI

• 1D: 3.46%
• 1M: -14.17%
• YTD: -15.23%
• 6M: -15.03%
• 1Y: 2.70%
• 3Y*: 17.15%
• 5Y*: 16.59%
• 10Y*: 24.70%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

IRDM vs. HEI — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

IRDM

IRDM Risk / Return Rank: 44
IRDM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 44
IRDM Sortino Ratio Rank: 43
IRDM Omega Ratio Rank: 44
IRDM Calmar Ratio Rank: 43
IRDM Martin Ratio Rank: 44

HEI

HEI Risk / Return Rank: 43
HEI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 45
HEI Sortino Ratio Rank: 39
HEI Omega Ratio Rank: 39
HEI Calmar Ratio Rank: 46
HEI Martin Ratio Rank: 47

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

IRDM vs. HEI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and HEICO Corporation (HEI). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	IRDM	HEI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.08	0.09	-0.01
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.51	0.33	+0.18
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	1.04	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.07	0.12	-0.05
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.11	0.40	-0.28
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IRDM vs. HEI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IRDM Sharpe Ratio is 0.08, which is comparable to the HEI Sharpe Ratio of 0.09. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IRDM and HEI, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IRDM	HEI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.08	0.09	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.14	0.63	-0.77
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.32	0.82	-0.51
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.16	0.50	-0.34

Correlation

The correlation between IRDM and HEI is 0.32, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

IRDM vs. HEI - Dividend Comparison

IRDM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.13%, more than HEI's 0.09% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IRDM Iridium Communications Inc.	2.13%	3.34%	1.90%	1.26%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
HEI HEICO Corporation	0.09%	0.07%	0.09%	0.11%	0.12%	0.12%	0.12%	0.12%	0.14%	0.08%	0.22%	0.28%

Drawdowns

IRDM vs. HEI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IRDM drawdown since its inception was -75.34%, roughly equal to the maximum HEI drawdown of -75.50%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IRDM and HEI.

Drawdown Indicators

	IRDM	HEI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-75.34%	-75.50%	+0.16%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-50.74%	-25.98%	-24.76%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-75.34%	-25.98%	-49.36%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-75.34%	-57.73%	-17.61%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-56.20%	-23.42%	-32.78%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-25.91%	-19.97%	-5.94%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	31.05%	7.94%	+23.11%

Volatility

IRDM vs. HEI - Volatility Comparison

Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) has a higher volatility of 16.07% compared to HEICO Corporation (HEI) at 9.93%. This indicates that IRDM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than HEI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IRDM	HEI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	16.07%	9.93%	+6.14%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	40.76%	21.15%	+19.61%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	57.34%	30.34%	+27.00%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	43.78%	26.57%	+17.21%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	44.36%	30.09%	+14.27%

Financials

IRDM vs. HEI - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Iridium Communications Inc. and HEICO Corporation over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

IRDM - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. reported a gross profit of 168.52M and revenue of 212.94M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 79.1%.

HEI - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, HEICO Corporation reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 1.18B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

IRDM - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. reported an operating income of 55.25M and revenue of 212.94M, resulting in an operating margin of 26.0%.

HEI - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, HEICO Corporation reported an operating income of 259.90M and revenue of 1.18B, resulting in an operating margin of 22.1%.

IRDM - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. reported a net income of 24.87M and revenue of 212.94M, resulting in a net margin of 11.7%.

HEI - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, HEICO Corporation reported a net income of 190.19M and revenue of 1.18B, resulting in a net margin of 16.1%.