Empowered Funds LLC Buys 228,275 Shares of Viavi Solutions Inc. $VIAV

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Viavi Solutions stake by 3,233.8% in the first quarter, buying 228,275 additional shares to own 235,334 shares valued at approximately $7.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 95.54% of the company.
• Viavi reported quarterly revenue of $443.1 million, up 52.5% year over year, and EPS of $0.34, exceeding analysts’ $0.30 estimate. The company issued Q1 2027 EPS guidance of $0.40–$0.42.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $49.88 price target, although targets varied and concerns remain about valuation, wireless demand, dilution and the durability of margin expansion.

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV - Free Report) by 3,233.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 235,334 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 228,275 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.10% of Viavi Solutions worth $7,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its position in Viavi Solutions by 96.2% in the first quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 775 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Viavi Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Viavi Solutions in the first quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Viavi Solutions by 86.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,845 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.54% of the company's stock.

Key Viavi Solutions News

Here are the key news stories impacting Viavi Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimates raised materially: Northland Securities increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $1.45 from $1.07, while raising estimates for Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 2027. The revised quarterly forecasts range from $0.34 to $0.38 per share, signaling expectations for improving profitability. Northland Securities earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure tailwinds: Viavi is benefiting from data-center expansion and demand for network testing, while new testing capabilities and margin expansion are supporting faster growth. Viavi Solutions Gains From AI Infrastructure Demand as Margins Expand
• Positive Sentiment: Product launch expands addressable opportunities: Viavi introduced the Vertex 6.0 channel emulator for 6G and Wi-Fi 7/8 testing, strengthening its positioning in next-generation wireless development and validation. VIAVI Introduces Vertex 6.0 Channel Emulator
• Positive Sentiment: Price-target optimism: The average Wall Street price target implies 38.8% potential upside. However, the article notes that price targets are an imperfect indicator; improving earnings-estimate revisions provide the more meaningful bullish signal. Viavi Solutions Analyst Price Target Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Key question is margin durability: Recent commentary focuses on whether Viavi can sustain its improving margin profile as growth accelerates, making future earnings quality an important catalyst. Viavi Solutions Q4 Margin Review
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks remain: Viavi’s premium valuation and weak quantitative signals could limit additional upside. A recent pullback also reflects concerns about weak wireless demand and potential dilution despite strong revenue, earnings and margin trends. Viavi Solutions Premium Valuation Analysis

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VIAV shares. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Viavi Solutions from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Viavi Solutions from $60.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research raised Viavi Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Viavi Solutions from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.88.

Insider Activity at Viavi Solutions

In related news, EVP Paul Mcnab sold 1,595 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.37, for a total value of $59,605.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $518,546.12. This represents a 10.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Viavi Solutions Trading Up 1.3%

VIAV opened at $43.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -290.25 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.74. Viavi Solutions Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.44 and a fifty-two week high of $60.43.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. Viavi Solutions had a negative net margin of 2.00% and a positive return on equity of 19.60%. The firm had revenue of $443.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $432.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 52.5% on a year-over-year basis. Viavi Solutions has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Viavi Solutions Inc. will post 1.32 earnings per share for the current year.

About Viavi Solutions

Viavi Solutions Inc is a provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications service providers, cable operators, enterprises and government agencies. The company offers an extensive portfolio of fiber optic and copper cable test and measurement instruments, wireless network testing equipment and network performance monitoring software. Its products are designed to support the deployment, maintenance and optimization of high-speed broadband, 5G wireless, data center and enterprise networks.

Viavi's product offerings are organized into two primary segments: Network & Service Enablement and Optical Security & Performance.

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