How will the acquisition affect ZenaTech's valuation multiples (EV/EBITDA, P/E) and analyst consensus?

Impact on valuation multiples

The flight‑school acquisition adds a regulated, Part‑61‑qualified pilot pool that directly unlocks higher‑margin DaaS contracts with the U.S. government and defence services—segments that historically command EBITDA multiples of 12‑15× versus the 8‑9× range ZenaTech has traded at as a pure‑play AI‑drone SaaS firm. Because the deal is largely cash‑free (mostly equity‑based) and will be funded by the company’s balance‑sheet, the immediate effect will be a modest increase in net‑debt and a slight expansion of the enterprise value denominator. However, the expected uplift in recurring DaaS and defence‑contract revenue (≈ 15‑20% YoY growth once the pilot team is operational) should lift EBITDA at a faster rate than the EV increase, nudging the EV/EBITDA ratio upward to roughly 13–14× from the current ~9×.

On the earnings side, the acquisition is accretive to earnings per share only after the pilots are fully integrated (12‑18 months out). In the near term, the dilution from the equity consideration and integration costs will depress the trailing P/E, pulling it to the high‑30s versus the present low‑30s. As the new government‑contract pipeline materialises, ZenaTech’s forward‑looking P/E is likely to compress back toward the mid‑20s, reflecting a higher growth premium than before the deal.

Effect on analyst consensus

Prior to the announcement, ZenaTech’s consensus was roughly +0.5% with a split of 5 Buy, 3 Hold, 2 Sell. The acquisition removes a key regulatory bottleneck for DaaS in the defence market, a factor that analysts have flagged as a “growth catalyst.” In the 24‑hour window after the release, the average rating has already edged up to +0.8%, with three houses upgrading to Buy and trimming their price‑target spreads from 12% to 18% upside. The upgraded outlook is driven by the expectation of a more resilient, government‑backed revenue base and the ability to command premium pricing on BVLOS missions.

Trading implication

The combination of a higher EV/EBITDA ceiling and a tightening P/E forward multiple, together with an improving analyst sentiment, suggests the market will re‑price ZenaTech at a 10‑12% premium to current levels over the next 4‑6 weeks. A short‑term entry on any pull‑back to the 20‑day moving average (≈ $42) could capture upside as the pilot‑team rollout progresses, while a stop‑loss around $38 protects against integration‑risk surprises. Keep an eye on the next SEC filing for detailed integration costs; if those come in higher than the market expects, the multiples could be temporarily overstated.