Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 199,415 Shares of Viasat Inc. $VSAT

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its Viasat stake by 1.2% in Q4, selling 199,415 shares and now holds 16,763,543 shares (about 12.39%) valued at approximately $577.7 million.
• Company insiders sold a total of 38,071 shares worth about $1.8 million over the last quarter — including SVPs Craig Miller and Benjamin Palmer — leaving insiders with roughly 2.20% ownership.
• Analysts have grown more positive on VSAT (six Buys, one Hold, one Sell), giving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.57, with several firms recently raising targets (e.g., Raymond James $74, Needham $58).

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,763,543 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 199,415 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.39% of Viasat worth $577,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Viasat during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Viasat by 6,815.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 899 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viasat during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Viasat during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Viasat by 7,380.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,244 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,214 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Viasat

In related news, SVP Craig Andrew Miller sold 5,260 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $263,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 21,252 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,600. This represents a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.21, for a total value of $110,904.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,431 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,175,166.51. This represents a 8.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 38,071 shares of company stock worth $1,804,437 over the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VSAT has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Viasat from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Viasat from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 target price on Viasat and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays raised Viasat from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $49.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.57.

Viasat Price Performance

Shares of Viasat stock opened at $63.82 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $8.67 billion, a PE ratio of -24.64 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a 50 day moving average of $51.94 and a 200 day moving average of $43.31. Viasat Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.61 and a 52 week high of $66.75.

Viasat Company 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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