DroneShield Ltd. (DRO:ASX; DRSHF:OTC) just garnered recognition in two ways; it was added to the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index and, separately, it was given a 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
Inclusion in the index, announced by the S&P Dow Jones Indices on March 1, will go into effect prior to trading on March 18, as noted in a news release.
DroneShield's Chief Executive Officer Oleg Vornik commented in the release, "This most recent news of addition into the All Ordinaries Index, as our market capitalization and daily liquidity continue to rapidly rise, is expected to further highlight our story to a number of institutional and retail shareholders, adding to the existing base of over 11,000 existing investors in DroneShield."
As for the HIRE Vets award, this is the second year in a row the company received this honor. The awards, a federal program, are bestowed upon employers that recruit, hire and retain veterans, another news release explained.
Positive 2024 Corporate Outlook
DroneShield provides artificial intelligence-powered hardware and software solutions to "detect, identify and defeat aerial, ground and maritime threats," Bell Potter Analyst Daniel Laing described in a March 4 research report. "The company's products are largely in-house technology and include handheld, vehicular and fixed installations."
Customers are military, government agencies, law enforcement agencies, critical infrastructure and commercial entities globally. With locations in Australia and the U.S., DroneShield is optimally located, particularly when it comes to supplying Western allies.
According to DroneShield, it is the world's publicly listed counterdrone (C-UAS) pure play.
The growing company reached a major milestone recently in that it turned profitable, Laing wrote. It achieved AU$9.3 million (AU$9.3M) of post-tax profit in 2023, resulting from record performance.
Operationally last year, DroneShield landed four more contracts, including one with the U.S. government and one with the Australian government. It expanded its workforce and relocated to a larger facility in Sydney.
"DroneShield has had an outstanding last 12 months," Laing added.
For 2024, the company is well-positioned. It has a contracted backlog valued at AU$30M and a total sales pipeline valued at AU$510M. It is debt free and as of year-end 2023 had AU$57.9M in cash.
External factors benefitting DroneShield include ongoing geopolitical conflicts, the related growth of drone use and the increasing spending on counterdrone technology, defense and security, the company said.
"With the company's strong financial position, detailed sales pipeline and the current macroenvironment, we are confident the company will continue to grow its earnings in 2024," Laing wrote.
700% Market Expansion Projected
The global counterdrone market is forecasted to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 26% between this year and 2032. It is estimated the market will hit US$15.3 billion (US$15.3B) by that year, a 700% increase from US$1.9B in 2023, according to a Global Market Insights report.
Key growth drivers, according to the report, are expected to be advancements in drone technology along with increases in three areas: geopolitical security concerns, unauthorized drone activities and government spending on defense and aerospace.
The Catalyst: More Revenue Growth
DroneShield's goal for the 2024 to 2028 period is to reach AU$300–500M in annual revenue, half coming from software-as-a-service offerings and software research and development, the company noted in its Investor Presentation.
Analysts Like the Stock
Laing, in his latest research note, highlighted the key points of the investment thesis on DroneShield. They are its valuation, its solid revenue momentum, the structural growth in the counterdrone market and the opportunity for the company to expand into adjacent markets, the lucrative field of electronic warfare for example.
Technical Analyst Clive Maund asserted in a Feb. 3 report that he remains bullish on the counterdrone solutions provider. For one, demand for its products is rapidly increasing for use in military and nonmilitary applications. Its technologies are "remarkable and afford the ability to detect approaching drones a long way off before they are visible." Also, he purported, DroneShield is a prime takeout target for a large defense contractor.
From a stock movement point of view, Maund wrote the recent spike to all-time highs "clearly has long-term bullish implications and should mark the start of a long growth phase for the company and its stock."
Finally, he recommended people in the stock stay long and those wanting to buy should do so when, and if, the price drops back down to the high AU$0.40s to low AU$0.50s.
The positive aspects of the Buy-rated company, its burgeoning sector and the conducive macroenvironment in combination make DroneShield a compelling investment, according to the analysts.
Ownership and Share Structure
According to Reuters, DroneShield has four insider investors, together holding 4.2% or 25.68 million (25.68M) shares of the company. From highest to lowest interest owned, they are CEO Oleg Vornik with 1.71% or 10.46M shares, Chief Technology Officer Angus Bean with 1.21% or 7.39M shares, Director Peter James with 1.07% or 6.54M shares and Director Jethro Marks with 0.21% or 1.29M shares.
Excluding Vornik, James and Marks, there are 15 other strategic investors, and they own 16.38% or 110.59M shares. The Top 3 are Epirus Inc. with 3.02% or 18.5M shares, Beta Gamma Party Ltd. with 2.08% or 18.1M shares and Paul Shaw with 2.08% or 12.71M shares.
One institutional investor, Mandarin Global Microcap, owns 0.07% or 0.42M shares.
Retail investors hold the remaining 80.35% of DroneShield.
The counterdrone firm has 612.15M outstanding shares and 492.28M free-float traded shares. Its current market cap is AU$273.02M and its 52-week trading range is AU$0.21−0.93 per share.
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