On February 25, 2025, Shaw and Partners analyst Abraham Akra maintained a Buy rating on DroneShield Ltd. (DRO:ASX; DRSHF:OTC) with an unchanged price target of AU$0.90, citing improved revenue visibility and a strong sales pipeline that supports the company's growth outlook in the counter-drone solutions market.
DroneShield has released its FY24 annual report, with revenue visibility for FY25 improving to AU$52 million in February 2025, up from AU$45 million in January 2025. While the company experienced slower-than-expected revenue growth in CY24 due to tender delays, it has built a record sales pipeline of AU$1.2 billion, reflecting increasing global demand for counter-drone solutions. The sales pipeline has shown significant gains in the European Union and Australia, though declines were observed in Asia/Other, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Despite the shifts, Asia/Other remains the largest pipeline region, anchored by an AU$228 million Japanese project.
The company continues to expand its global footprint with several notable contract wins, including an AU$9.7 million contract in Latin America, an AU$8.2 million NATO award, and AU$11.8 million in agreements in the Asia-Pacific region. DroneShield is well-positioned to benefit from increased defense expenditure under NATO and AUKUS initiatives.
Project LAND 156 represents a significant strategic opportunity, valued at AU$300-500 million, which is not included in the existing AU$1.2 billion pipeline. This project involves designing and integrating systems capable of countering NATO Class 1 and 2 drones. DroneShield's combination of hardware and software expertise, supported by Australian sovereign capabilities, positions it strongly for this opportunity.
The global counter-drone market is projected to reach US$7 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 30.2% from 2023 to 2030. The analyst notes that "recent incidents, such as surging drone-related security breaches, highlight the mounting demand for effective counter-drone technologies."
Key risks for DroneShield include counterparty risk related to international business, supply chain challenges that could cause delivery delays, the uncertainty of government contracts, product liability concerns, potential changes in government legislation, and data security vulnerabilities.
For FY24, DroneShield reported sales of AU$58.0 million, representing 7.2% growth, with an EBITDA of negative AU$8.1 million and an NPAT of negative AU$0.3 million. The analyst forecasts significant improvement in FY25, with projected sales of AU$93.5 million (+61.2%), EBITDA of AU$15.4 million, and NPAT of AU$3.2 million.
With the current share price at AU$0.78, the AU$0.90 price target represents a 15.4% potential upside.
Want to be the first to know about interesting Technology investment ideas? Sign up to receive the FREE Streetwise Reports' newsletter. | Subscribe |
Important Disclosures:
- As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of DroneShield Ltd.
- This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.
For additional disclosures, please click here.
Disclosures for Shaw and Partners, DroneShield Ltd., February 25, 2025
Shaw and Partners Limited ABN 24 003 221 583 (“Shaw”) is a Participant of ASX Limited, Cboe Australia Pty Limited and holder of Australian Financial Services Licence number 236048. ANALYST CERTIFICATION: The Research Analyst who prepared this report hereby certifies that the views expressed in this document accurately reflect the analyst's personal views about the Company and its financial products. Neither Shaw nor its Research Analysts received any direct financial or non-financial benefits from the company for the production of this document. However, Shaw Research Analysts may receive assistance from the company in preparing their research which can include attending site visits and/or meetings hosted by the company. In some instances the costs of such site visits or meetings may be met in part or in whole by the company if Shaw considers it is reasonable given the specific circumstances relating to the site visit or meeting. As at the date of this report, the Research Analyst does not hold, either directly or through a controlled entity, securities in the Company that is the subject of this report, or where they do hold securities those interests are not material. Shaw restricts Research Analysts from trading in securities outside of the ASX/S&P100 for which they write research. Other Shaw employees may hold interests in the company, but none of those interests are material. DISCLAIMER: This report is published by Shaw to its clients by way of general, as opposed to personal, advice. This means it has been prepared for multiple distribution without consideration of your investment objectives, financial situation and needs (“Personal Circumstances”). Accordingly, the advice given is not a recommendation that a particular course of action is suitable for you and the advice is therefore not to be acted on as investment advice. You must assess whether or not the advice is appropriate for your Personal Circumstances before making any investment decisions. You can either make this assessment yourself, or if you require a personal recommendation, you can seek the assistance of your Shaw client adviser. This report is provided to you on the condition that it not be copied, either in whole or in part, distributed to or disclosed to any other person. If you are not the intended recipient, you should destroy the report and advise Shaw that you have done so. This report is published by Shaw in good faith based on the facts known to it at the time of its preparation and does not purport to contain all relevant information with respect to the financial products to which it relates. The research report is current as at the date of publication until it is replaced, updated or withdrawn. Although the report is based on information obtained from sources believed to be reliable, Shaw does not make any representation or warranty that it is accurate, complete or up to date and Shaw accepts no obligation to correct or update the information or opinions in it. If you rely on this report, you do so at your own risk. Any projections are indicative estimates only and may not be realised in the future. Such projections are contingent on matters outside the control of Shaw (including but not limited to market volatility, economic conditions and company-specific fundamentals) and therefore may not be realised in the future. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Except to the extent that liability under any law cannot be excluded, Shaw disclaims liability for all loss or damage arising as a result of any opinion, advice, recommendation, representation or information expressly or impliedly published in or in relation to this report notwithstanding any error or omission including negligence. Depending on the timing and size of your investment, your portfolio composition may differ to the model. Performance figures are derived from the inception date of the model and its investment transactions from that date, therefore the performance for your portfolio may be different. If you have any questions in connection with differences between your portfolio and the model, you should speak with your adviser. For U.S. persons only: This research report is a product of Shaw and Partners Limited under Marco Polo Securities 15a-6 chaperone service, which is the employer of the research analyst(s) who has prepared the research report. The research analyst(s) preparing the research report is/are resident outside the United States (U.S.) and are not associated persons of any U.S. regulated broker-dealer and therefore the analyst(s) is/are not subject to supervision by a U.S. broker-dealer, and is/are not required to satisfy the regulatory licensing requirements of FINRA or required to otherwise comply with U.S. rules or regulations regarding, among other things, communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account. Research reports are intended for distribution only to "Major Institutional Investors" as defined by Rule 15a-6(b)(4) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Act, 1934 (the Exchange Act) and interpretations thereof by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in reliance on Rule 15a-6(a)(2). If the recipient of this report is not a Major Institutional Investor as specified above, then it should not act upon this report and return the same to the sender. Further, this report may not be copied, duplicated and/or transmitted onward to any U.S. person, which is not the Major Institutional Investor. In reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Rule 15a-6 of the Exchange Act and interpretations thereof by the SEC in order to conduct certain business with Major Institutional Investors, Shaw and Partners Limited has entered into a chaperoning agreement with a U.S. registered broker-dealer, Marco Polo Securities Inc. ("Marco Polo"). Transactions in securities discussed in this research report should be affected through Marco Polo or another U.S. registered broker dealer. DISCLOSURE: Shaw will charge commission in relation to client transactions in financial products and Shaw client advisers will receive a share of that commission. Shaw, its authorised representatives, its associates and their respective officers and employees may have earned previously or may in the future earn fees and commission from dealing in the Company's financial products. Shaw acted as Sole/Joint Lead Manager and Underwriter in the placement of DRO securities in the last 12 months for which it received fees or will receive fees for acting in this capacity. Accordingly, Shaw may have a conflict of interest which investors should consider before making an investment decision.