Pinned straw:
@neke86_ , thanks for flagging the links. I thought it did not quite make sense from a few angles:
(1) setting up shop in a warzone feels terribly counter-intuitive - the immediate risk is the West stops backing Ukraine, Putin steamrolls and takes over Ukraine, putting the facilities completely at risk. More so if Trump is talking about not backing Ukraine etc etc.
(3) I would imagine that Ukraine's technical workforce would be an issue - a lot of them would be russian-technology based, have been conscripted to go to war etc, both of which does not invite more investment.
(4) not sure Ukraine has much leverage to force that as a condition to the contract - it feels like they have taken whatever they can get in recent times anyway
(5) Andreas, the CEO is ex-Airbus, and there are lots of far safer places, and deep manufacturing technology skills in western Europe to set up shop, more so as the EU economy slows down further/plateaus and capacity becomes available.
(5) I would have expected an announcement given the risks to both the facility and the contract if it were really happening - EOS have really improved their stakeholder communication in the last 12-18M in my view,
So, didnt read much into the news nor act on it as it doesnt make logical sense, acknowledging that there could be many other factors at play.
I do not own DRO and do not follow it to be able to comment on the differences. But I do like that EOS has (what I think anyway), is a broader range of products beyond anti-drones.
I do think strongly, however, that EOS is in a very much more different and positive place today than the market gives it credit for. The turnaround under Andreas has well advanced. The management crew has completely changed. There is much more market and operational focus. Cash flow issues have mostly been resolved, debt has been repaid on time. And it is well placed with the offerings that it has amidst wartime demand.
In analysing this, I have not focused on the longer-term history (which I painfully went through buying in years ago at about ~$5-ish and holding through the troubles), as I think the company has made a step change away from the "troubles" such that making comparisons that far back are not helpful to working out the opportunity from here.
I have progressively topped up to average down my holdings in the past year as a result but am under no illusion that this is a medium-term wait at best. I suspect I am probably a wee bit early to what I am hoping is a part of some sort of party but the war thematic is too in my face to ignore right now. I am happy to be invested as I think the trajectory following the turnaround and Andreas' leadership makes EOS a very different beast from before. All will be revealed in the fullness of time!
Discl: Held IRL
Not that it appeals to me but it does seem war can be a very profitable investing thematic right now.
Still remember Raytheon stock rocketing whenever there was news of their cruise missiles being fired