Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Viasat has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from 11 analysts: seven rate it a buy, one a strong buy, two hold, and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $90.67.
• Analyst targets vary widely, including $95 from Morgan Stanley, $105 from Needham, and $140 from Oppenheimer, while the stock recently opened at $69.09.
• Insiders sold 243,763 shares worth approximately $19.5 million over the past three months, while institutional investors own 86.05% of Viasat’s outstanding shares.

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $90.67.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VSAT shares. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a report on Monday, August 10th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Viasat from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Viasat in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viasat from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Viasat Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSAT opened at $69.09 on Wednesday. Viasat has a twelve month low of $26.10 and a twelve month high of $93.03. The firm has a market cap of $9.52 billion, a PE ratio of -287.88 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $75.32 and a 200-day moving average of $68.48.

Insider Transactions at Viasat

In related news, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.69, for a total value of $211,725.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $931,590. This trade represents a 18.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Garrett L. Chase sold 4,000 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total value of $299,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,965,301.10. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 243,763 shares of company stock worth $19,537,987. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VSAT. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viasat during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Viasat in the second quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Viasat by 8,261.7% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 976,646 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $87,713,000 after acquiring an additional 964,966 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in Viasat during the 2nd quarter worth $281,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Viasat by 74.1% during the 2nd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 10,951 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $984,000 after acquiring an additional 4,660 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

About Viasat

Viasat, Inc is a communications company that provides satellite connectivity and related services to commercial, government and consumer customers. Its offerings include broadband internet, in-flight connectivity, maritime communications, enterprise networking and secure communications for government and defense applications.

The company operates a fleet of communications satellites and develops supporting ground infrastructure, network services and connectivity equipment. Viasat serves customers across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and other international markets, including airlines, shipping companies, businesses, government agencies and households in areas where terrestrial broadband is limited.

Viasat was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.

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