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Side-by-side financial comparison of Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Iridium Communications Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($219.1M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.8× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). Iridium Communications Inc. runs the higher net margin — 9.9% vs 5.3%, a 4.6% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (8.1% vs 1.9%). Over the past eight quarters, Iridium Communications Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (4.4% CAGR vs 3.1%).
Iridium Communications Inc. is a publicly traded American company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, United States. Iridium operates the Iridium satellite constellation, a system of 80 satellites: 66 are active satellites and the remaining fourteen function as in-orbit spares. Iridium Satellites are used for worldwide voice and data communication from handheld satellite phones, satellite messenger communication devices and integrated transceivers, as well as for two-way satellite messaging se...
El Pollo Loco, Inc., is a restaurant chain based in the United States, specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. Restaurant service consists of dine-in and take-out, with some locations offering drive-through options. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, and operates about 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the Southwestern United States.
IRDM vs LOCO — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $219.1M | $123.5M |
| Net Profit | $21.6M | $6.5M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 23.2% | 8.3% |
| Net Margin | 9.9% | 5.3% |
| Revenue YoY | 1.9% | 8.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 9.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | — | $0.22 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | $219.1M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $212.9M | $123.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $226.9M | $121.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $216.9M | $125.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $214.9M | $119.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $213.0M | $114.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $212.8M | $120.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $201.1M | $122.2M |
| Q1 26 | $21.6M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $24.9M | $6.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $37.1M | $7.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $22.0M | $7.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $30.4M | $5.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $36.3M | $6.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $24.4M | $6.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $32.3M | $7.6M |
| Q1 26 | 23.2% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 25.9% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 30.9% | 9.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 23.2% | 9.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 28.1% | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 24.5% | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 25.8% | 8.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 21.7% | 10.1% |
| Q1 26 | 9.9% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 11.7% | 5.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 16.4% | 6.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 10.1% | 5.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 14.2% | 4.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.1% | 5.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 11.5% | 5.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 16.1% | 6.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.24 | $0.22 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.35 | $0.25 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.20 | $0.24 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.27 | $0.19 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.30 | $0.21 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $0.21 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.27 | $0.25 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $6.2M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $51.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | — | $291.1M |
| Total Assets | — | $606.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.18× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $96.5M | $6.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $88.5M | $10.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $79.3M | $9.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $50.9M | $4.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $93.5M | $2.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $159.6M | $7.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $63.5M | $10.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.8B | $51.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $61.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $69.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $73.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.8B | $71.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $76.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $87.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $462.6M | $291.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $450.5M | $282.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $473.6M | $274.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $518.4M | $265.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $576.6M | $260.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $663.8M | $255.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $786.7M | $248.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.5B | $606.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.6B | $602.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.6B | $596.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.6B | $590.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.7B | $592.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.8B | $590.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.7B | $593.8M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 3.80× | 0.18× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.22× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.25× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.05× | 0.27× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.30× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.35× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | — | $13.9M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $5.1M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 4.1% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 13.7% | 7.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 2.13× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $25.4M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $108.6M | $13.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $100.8M | $15.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $129.6M | $14.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $61.1M | $4.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $104.8M | $5.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $118.6M | $13.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $81.1M | $17.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $75.1M | $5.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $79.2M | $9.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $108.9M | $9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $36.5M | $1.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $80.5M | $1.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $100.0M | $9.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $68.7M | $10.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 35.3% | 4.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 34.9% | 8.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 50.2% | 7.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 17.0% | 1.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 37.8% | 1.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 47.0% | 7.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 34.2% | 8.5% |
| Q1 26 | 13.7% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 15.7% | 7.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.5% | 4.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.5% | 4.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 11.4% | 2.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 11.4% | 3.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.7% | 3.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.37× | 2.13× | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.71× | 2.08× | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.90× | 1.99× | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.01× | 0.86× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.88× | 0.95× | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.85× | 2.11× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.51× | 2.22× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
IRDM
| Voice and data | $57.4M | 26% |
| IoT data (2) | $46.0M | 21% |
| Government | $39.5M | 18% |
| Government service revenue (5) | $27.6M | 13% |
| Subscriber equipment | $20.2M | 9% |
| Hosted payload and other data service (4) | $14.8M | 7% |
| Broadband (3) | $12.2M | 6% |
| Commercial | $1.3M | 1% |
LOCO
| Services | $102.4M | 83% |
| Franchise | $13.0M | 11% |
| Franchise Advertising Fee | $8.1M | 7% |
