Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. IRDM scored 45.4, AD scored 67.9 — AD leads.
Compare another set
IRDM
Iridium Communications Inc.
Telecom Services · Quality-Growth
45.4
$47.47 · $5.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
22.5
AD leads
AD
Array Digital Infrastructure, Inc.
Telecom Services · Quality-Growth
67.9
$33.39 · $2.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthAD+58.3%
Strongest balance sheetAD0.94
Highest qualityIRDM64 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueIRDM-7%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
IRDM
stronger →← stronger
AD
64
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
68
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
69
22
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
79
AD is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
IRDM
AD
$288mC
FCF
-$338mF
+4.9%C+
Rev
+58.3%A
3.79C
D/E
0.94B
53.9xC
P/E
—
1.86C+
PEG
14.30D
—
P/S
13.5xD
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
IRDM
AD
7% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~5%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
+1%
1-yr DCF upside
—
+7%
5-yr DCF upside
—
+17%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
IRDM
Why this score
Raising its dividend
AD
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
IRDMIridium Communications Inc.
Telecom Services · $47.47 · beta 0.85
Why now
Telecom Services · market cap $5.0b. 17% off the 52-week high of $57.18. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $42.00 (implying -12% upside).
Moat
ROE 20% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($213m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
D/E 3.79 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 53.9x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating.
ADArray Digital Infrastructure, Inc.
Telecom Services · $33.39 · beta 0.30
Why now
Telecom Services · market cap $2.9b. Down 45% from 52-week high of $60.82 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +58% — in hypergrowth territory. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $43.33 (implying +30% upside).
Moat
ROE 23% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$338m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Down 45% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. P/S 13.5x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where IRDM and AD diverge
On the headline score the gap is 22.5 points in favor of AD. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueIRDM 21.5 · AD 79.1AD +57.6
QualityIRDM 64.3 · AD 57.1IRDM +7.2
GrowthIRDM 67.6 · AD 69.2level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is AD or IRDM the better stock?
AD scores higher: AD 67.9, IRDM 45.4 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do AD and IRDM differ most?
The widest gap is value, where AD leads by 58 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are AD and IRDM scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.