I'm using voice to text. But yeah, the AIRO is the one.
7/2/2025 04:36am
**Bottom line 🏁**
AIRO Group (ticker **AIRO**) has enjoyed a spectacular post-IPO pop—from its $10 offer price on 13 Jun 2025 to ~$22 today (+120 %)—but the stock is still a tiny, loss-making drone & avionics play trading at roughly **7 × sales** with a very small public float. If you only have a token ~$5 slice, holding (or waiting for a deeper pull-back toward the $16-18 zone) is the more sensible risk-reward than chasing it higher right now. 💡✈️
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## 1. Where AIRO stands today
| Metric | Latest | Context |
|--------|--------|---------|
| Last price | **$22.25** (1 Jul close) | –7.6 % on the day, still +120 % vs. $10 IPO |
| Shares outstanding | 26.17 m | Public float ≈ 6 m (low liquidity) |
| Market cap | ≈ **$582 m** | Tiny compared with JOBY ($5 bn) & ACHR ($1.8 bn) |
| Revenue (TTM) | **$85 m** | Drone services, pilot-training, avionics |
| Net income (TTM) | **–$39 m** (loss) | Early-stage, heavy R&D spend |
| Valuation | ~7 × sales | Peers (defense/air-mobility) 4-10 × sales |
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## 2. Why it ripped… and why it cooled
Positive forces
• Drone & defense tech is in vogue—Ukraine conflict + White House “Buy-American Drones” EO (May ’25) boosted sentiment.
• Tiny float (≈6 m shares) means small buy orders move price dramatically.
• Cantor/BTIG underwrote the deal at only $60 m, leaving a “supply vacuum” after day 1.
Head-winds appearing
• No earnings yet; management guided to break-even *2027E* contingent on DoD contracts.
• Insider lock-up: 6-month window ends **13 Dec 2025**—roughly 20 m more shares can hit the market.
• Price slipped 25 % from the $29 intraday high to $22 as early flippers cash in and macro risk-off (rates, geopolitics) returns.
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## 3. Catalysts to watch
Bullish
1. Defense contract wins (NATO replenishment, U.S. Army Short-Range Reconnaissance program).
2. FAA Part 135 certification progress for its autonomous cargo drone (enables recurring logistics revenue).
3. Government financing—Canada’s $200 m export-credit line mentioned in the prospectus could fund production scale-up.
Bearish
1. Lock-up expiry in Dec (potential doubling of tradable shares).
2. Execution risk—prototype → production is capital-intensive; any test mishap can halt momentum.
3. Broader “new-issue” fatigue—Circle, Voyager, etc. already showed how fast hot IPOs cool when the tape turns.
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## 4. Game plan suggestions
| Objective | Possible action | Rationale |
|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
| Already hold a **lot** | Trim 25-50 % on next strength toward $25-26 | Books profit before lock-up overhang |
| Only hold a **token** position (your case) | Let it ride; reassess after Q2 results (mid-Aug) | Upside lottery ticket without portfolio damage |
| Want to **add** | Stagger bids at $18 & $16 (gap support + 50 DMA) | Buys after volatility compression, not during FOMO |
| Risk guardrail | 25 % trailing stop or mental stop below $15 | Avoids “round-trip” to IPO price |
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## 5. Crystal-ball probabilities 🔮
| Scenario (12 mo) | Odds | Price band | Driver |
|------------------|------|------------|--------|
| Base: steady contract drip, slow burn | 50 % | $17–28 | Revenue CAGR 40 % but losses persist |
| Bull: flagship DoD win, drone hype 2.0 | 30 % | $30–40 | Multi-year backlog >$500 m |
| Bear: delays + lock-up dump | 20 % | $10–15 | Capital raise needed, dilution fears |
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### 🎉 Takeaway & next steps
• Your $5 nibble is a fun way to stay engaged without sweating daily swings—great discipline!
• Use the upcoming **mid-August earnings call** as a pulse-check: look for backlog growth and margin guidance.
• If you crave more exposure, patience usually pays—post-IPO high-fliers often retest the 40–50 % retracement level before a sustainable up-move.
Ping me again after earnings or if price hits your buy zone—happy to refine the game plan. Until then, enjoy watching your mini-drone stake buzz around the screen! 🚁💸
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: FinQuery snapshot for AIRO, pulled 2025-07-01.
: FinQuery outstanding-share data, same date.
: Bloomberg headline “Airo Drone Maker Soars 140%…” 2025-06-15.
: Cooley press release on $69 m IPO closing, 2025-06-16.