Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given Viasat an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from eight firms (six buys, two sells) with a 12‑month average price target of $47.71; some firms are notably more bullish (Needham $58 target, Deutsche Bank upgraded to buy).
• VSAT shares opened at $53.88 with a market cap of $7.32 billion, a 12‑month range of $7.36–$54.51 and a negative P/E of -20.80, while the 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages ($46.80 and $39.89) indicate recent upside momentum.
• Institutional investors now own about 86.05% of the company after large purchases by firms like Price T. Rowe and Vanguard, even as insiders sold roughly 40,881 shares (~$1.94M) last quarter, leaving insiders with 2.20% ownership.

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $47.7143.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research report on Friday, January 16th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. 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 research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Viasat from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Friday, February 6th.

Viasat Stock Performance

Shares of VSAT opened at $53.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -20.80 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $46.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Viasat has a 12 month low of $7.36 and a 12 month high of $54.51.

Insider Activity at Viasat

In related news, SVP Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 8.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Camellia E. Fitzgerald sold 2,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $134,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $477,408. The trade was a 22.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 40,881 shares of company stock worth $1,939,317 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VSAT. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Viasat by 2,821.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,222,981 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $111,065,000 after buying an additional 3,112,670 shares during the last quarter. OCO Capital Partners L.P. boosted its position in shares of Viasat by 60.0% during the second quarter. OCO Capital Partners L.P. now owns 6,000,000 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $87,600,000 after buying an additional 2,250,000 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Viasat by 12,255.3% during the third quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,404,800 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $41,161,000 after buying an additional 1,393,430 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Viasat by 8.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,962,958 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $497,015,000 after buying an additional 1,289,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Viasat by 673.7% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,386,089 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $14,443,000 after buying an additional 1,206,935 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

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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