California State Teachers Retirement System Has $6.12 Million Stock Position in Viasat Inc. $VSAT

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its Viasat stake by 22.9% in the first quarter, holding 133,708 shares worth approximately $6.12 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.05% of VSAT.
• Viasat’s outlook includes about $180 million in fiscal 2027 free cash flow, continued connectivity growth, and two ViaSat-3 satellites nearing service. Needham raised its price target to $105 and maintained a Buy rating.
• Risks include revenue falling short of analyst expectations, a substantial capital-expenditure program, competitive pressures, and recent insider selling. Despite a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, the stock has already risen sharply and trades near its 12-month high.

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Free Report) by 22.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,708 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 24,931 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.10% of Viasat worth $6,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Viasat in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. EFG International AG acquired a new position in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Viasat in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Viasat

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings of $0.17 per share, above the roughly $0.10 consensus estimate and significantly better than the year-ago result. Lower interest expense helped narrow losses and supported the earnings beat. Viasat Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects approximately $180 million of fiscal 2027 free cash flow while maintaining its $950 million-$1 billion capital-expenditure plan. Executives also highlighted record Direct-to-Air (DAT) awards and continued growth opportunities in government, aviation and maritime connectivity. Viasat Free Cash Flow and Capital Expenditure Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Two ViaSat-3 satellites are nearing service, potentially expanding capacity and supporting the company’s next phase of growth. Needham raised its price target to $105 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing the improving outlook. Needham Raises Viasat Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: VSAT has already rallied substantially over the past three months, leaving investors focused on whether ViaSat-3 commercialization and new contracts can justify the higher valuation. Competitive pressures and execution remain important risks. Viasat Rally and Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of approximately $1.16 billion missed the $1.20 billion analyst estimate and declined year over year. The revenue shortfall is likely outweighing the adjusted earnings beat because it raises questions about near-term demand and the pace of growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary following the report characterized the stock as expensive after its recent advance, while the large capital-spending program leaves limited room for execution missteps. Two insiders also sold shares, including a director and a senior vice president, adding a modest negative signal.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,400 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.46, for a total value of $181,104.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 21,159 shares in the company, valued at $1,596,658.14. The trade was a 10.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark D. Dankberg sold 400,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.76, for a total transaction of $25,904,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,082,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,083,012.96. This represents a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders sold 445,819 shares of company stock worth $29,172,107. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Viasat Stock Performance

Shares of VSAT opened at $81.03 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $72.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.32. Viasat Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.28 and a 12 month high of $93.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -337.62 and a beta of 1.72.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Viasat had a negative net margin of 0.64% and a positive return on equity of 1.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.02) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Viasat Inc. will post -0.28 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VSAT shares. Barclays set a $49.00 price objective on Viasat in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 target price on Viasat and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Viasat from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. New Street Research assumed coverage on Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viasat from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viasat has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.78.

Viasat Profile

Viasat, Inc NASDAQ: VSAT provides high‐capacity satellite broadband and wireless communications services to consumer, commercial and government customers worldwide. The company designs and operates satellite systems and network infrastructure to deliver secure, high-speed connectivity across remote and underserved regions, as well as managed networking solutions for enterprises and public sector agencies.

Viasat's product offerings include residential and enterprise satellite internet services, in-flight connectivity for commercial airlines and business jets, and secure networking platforms tailored to defense and intelligence users.

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