Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Viasat hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $67.24 (last $66.76) and was up roughly 2.6%, giving the company a market cap of about $9.14 billion.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leaning positive: MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" (6 Buys, 1 Hold, 1 Sell) with an average target of $60.57, while B. Riley and Raymond James have higher targets of $94 and $74 respectively.
• Insiders have been net sellers, unloading 38,071 shares worth about $1.8 million in the last quarter (insiders own 2.2%), while institutional investors hold roughly 86% of the stock.

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $67.24 and last traded at $66.7550, with a volume of 450356 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $65.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on VSAT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Monday, April 20th. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Viasat from $52.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 price target on shares of Viasat and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Viasat from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viasat has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.57.

Viasat Stock Up 2.6%

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.98 and a beta of 1.66. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $52.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.52.

Insider Activity at Viasat

In other Viasat news, SVP Robert James Blair sold 30,411 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.04, for a total value of $1,430,533.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,792,600.32. This represents a 44.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,400 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.21, for a total transaction of $110,904.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,175,166.51. This trade represents a 8.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 38,071 shares of company stock worth $1,804,437 in the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viasat in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Viasat in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Viasat by 6,815.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 899 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Viasat during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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