Marlane Pereiro's questions to EchoStar Corp (SATS) leadership • Q1 2025
Question
An analyst from Bank of America Securities inquired about the repurchase of Hughes secured bonds, asking if it was related to the new $150 million spectrum note issuance and why the company chose to buy back secured versus unsecured debt. She also requested an update on the DBS bondholder litigation.
Answer
CEO Hamid Akhavan explained that repurchasing their own undervalued debt was an attractive, low-risk use of cash. He stated the $150 million note issuance was to honor a pre-existing commitment and was unrelated to the buybacks, a point COO John Swieringa confirmed. Hamid Akhavan added there was no specific strategic reason for choosing secured over unsecured bonds. Executive Dean Manson declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.