Theresa Wise Sells 2,500 Shares of Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Stock

Key Points

• Viasat director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares at an average price of $84.69, generating $211,725 and reducing her direct ownership by 18.52% to 11,000 shares.
• Viasat’s shares recently traded near $82, well above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company reported quarterly revenue of $1.17 billion but missed analyst expectations, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average $85.78 price target.
• Institutional investors own 86.05% of Viasat, with several funds building new or larger positions. Growth prospects include satellite commercialization, government contracts and expected fiscal 2027 free cash flow of approximately $180 million, though high capital spending and execution risks remain.

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.69, for a total value of $211,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $931,590. This represents a 18.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Theresa Wise also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 8th, Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of Viasat stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total value of $172,500.00.

Viasat Stock Performance

Shares of VSAT traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $81.99. 2,385,964 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,143,439. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $72.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.32. The company has a market cap of $11.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -341.62 and a beta of 1.72. Viasat Inc. has a twelve month low of $24.95 and a twelve month high of $93.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). Viasat had a negative net margin of 0.64% and a positive return on equity of 1.45%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.02) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Viasat Inc. will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Viasat in the second quarter valued at approximately $80,124,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Viasat during the second quarter worth $1,085,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Viasat during the second quarter worth $486,000. Everett Harris & Co. CA acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,423,000. Finally, Tema ETFs LLC increased its stake in shares of Viasat by 229,857.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 965,820 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $86,740,000 after purchasing an additional 965,400 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viasat News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat reported adjusted earnings of approximately $0.17 per share, above the roughly $0.10 consensus estimate and well ahead of the year-ago result. Lower interest expense helped improve profitability. Viasat Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects about $180 million in fiscal 2027 free cash flow while retaining its $950 million-$1 billion capital-expenditure plan. Record Direct-to-Air awards and growth in government, aviation and maritime connectivity provide additional potential catalysts. Viasat Free Cash Flow Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its Viasat price target from $90 to $105 and maintained a Buy rating. The firm cited progress toward placing two ViaSat-3 satellites into service, which could expand capacity and support future growth. Needham Raises Viasat Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Viasat’s recent rally has increased investor focus on execution. ViaSat-3 commercialization, new contracts and demand for connectivity services must accelerate enough to justify the stock’s higher valuation, while competition remains a risk. Viasat Rally and Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of about $1.16 billion fell short of the $1.20 billion analyst estimate and declined year over year. The revenue shortfall is weighing on the earnings beat because it raises questions about near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation and sizable capital-spending requirements leave less room for execution setbacks. In addition, Director John Stenbit sold 616 shares and SVP Benjamin Palmer sold 2,400 shares at approximately $75.46 per share; the transactions are modest but represent negative insider-activity signals. Viasat Insider Selling

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. New Street Research started coverage on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Barclays set a $49.00 price objective on Viasat in a research note on Friday, May 29th. B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on Viasat from $94.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Viasat from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, July 17th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.78.

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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