DigitalGlobe's Shares Dropped: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of satellite imaging specialist DigitalGlobe (NYS: DGI) fell behind a cloud today; prices dropped as much as 13.6% on about double the average trading volume.

So what: DigitalGlobe's third-quarter results are set to be reported after market close today, but rival GeoEye (NAS: GEOY) published its own results last night. Earnings fell below Street targets, and so did next-quarter guidance figures, so nobody is expecting much out of DigitalGlobe tonight.

Now what: GeoEye's main pain point came from slow government orders. The two companies are indeed very comparable -- except for the fact that DigitalGlobe tends to squander a much fatter gross profit on very high operating expenses. Keep an eye on that line of Digital's results this time.

Interested in more info about DigitalGlobe? Add it to My Watchlist.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorAnders Bylundholds no position in any of the companies mentioned.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of GeoEye. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinion, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Check outAnders' holdings and bio, or follow him onTwitterandGoogle+. We have adisclosure policy.

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