SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Position in Viasat Inc. $VSAT

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Viasat by 797.5% in Q4, adding 103,981 shares to hold 117,019 shares (about 0.09% of the company) valued at approximately $4.03 million.
• Analysts are mixed but leaning positive — six Buys vs. two Sells with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $47.71, while recent firm targets range from $48 (Deutsche Bank) to $58 (Needham).
• Insider selling has been notable recently: CEO Mark Dankberg sold 100,000 shares and an SVP sold 30,411, with insiders selling 140,881 shares worth about $5.97 million in the last 90 days (insiders now own 2.20%).

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Free Report) by 797.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 117,019 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 103,981 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.09% of Viasat worth $4,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VSAT. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viasat by 15.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,387 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Viasat by 1.9% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 19,145 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Viasat by 3.1% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 18,989 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA lifted its position in Viasat by 22.6% during the third quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 3,250 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Viasat by 2.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 30,838 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $904,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viasat Price Performance

VSAT stock opened at $53.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of -20.73 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.32. Viasat Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.36 and a 12-month high of $53.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VSAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Viasat from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Viasat from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price target on shares of Viasat in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viasat

In other Viasat news, SVP Robert James Blair sold 30,411 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.04, for a total transaction of $1,430,533.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,792,600.32. The trade was a 44.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark D. Dankberg sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.34, for a total transaction of $4,034,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,434,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $57,887,617.62. This represents a 6.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,881 shares of company stock worth $5,973,317. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

About Viasat

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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