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

Key Points

• Viasat shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $89.95 after closing at $76.69 the prior day, extending a strong recent rally.
• Positive catalysts are driving sentiment, including a Magnite partnership for in-flight programmatic ads, U.S. Space Force contract wins, and Oppenheimer’s new Outperform rating with a $140 price target.
• Despite the upbeat momentum, fundamentals remain mixed: the latest earnings missed estimates, insiders have been selling shares, and analyst views are still split with a consensus target below the current price.

Shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $89.95 and last traded at $89.81, with a volume of 6364077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $76.69.

More Viasat News

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat partnered with Magnite to bring programmatic advertising to in-flight Wi-Fi, creating a new monetization opportunity for its connectivity platform. Viasat (VSAT) Partners With Magnite To Bring Programmatic Ads To In Flight Wi Fi
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are reacting to recent U.S. Space Force contract wins, which strengthen Viasat’s secure satellite communications business and support a more bullish outlook for defense-related revenue. Viasat stock jumps as Space Force wins fuel bullish analyst outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $140 price target, signaling meaningful upside from recent trading levels and helping fuel the rally. Finviz coverage reference
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity surged, with traders buying far more call options than usual, a sign that some market participants are betting on continued upside in VSAT.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are debating Viasat’s long-term role in the satellite spectrum market, and commentary around the Rocket Lab-Iridium deal has added attention to the sector, though the direct impact on Viasat is less certain. VSAT stock clocks best day in over 10 months
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary urged investors to sell VSAT, suggesting not all market participants are convinced the rally is sustainable. 3 reasons to sell VSAT and 1 stock to buy instead

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VSAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. New Street Research started coverage on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Barclays set a $49.00 price target on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Viasat and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $97.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Viasat in a research report on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.11.

Viasat Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average is $68.89 and its 200-day moving average is $53.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market cap of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -309.69 and a beta of 1.71.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.34). Viasat had a negative net margin of 0.73% and a positive return on equity of 1.58%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.02) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Viasat Inc. will post -0.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viasat

In other Viasat news, Director Richard A. Baldridge sold 27,122 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.74, for a total value of $1,945,732.28. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 213,355 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,306,087.70. This trade represents a 11.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total value of $172,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $759,000. This represents a 18.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 438,275 shares of company stock worth $28,608,719. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viasat

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VSAT. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Viasat by 2,821.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,222,981 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $111,065,000 after acquiring an additional 3,112,670 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted 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 worth $14,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206,935 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Viasat by 64.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,866,242 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $29,866,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128,338 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Viasat by 38.5% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,713,581 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $108,808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033,194 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Viasat by 43.5% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,307,187 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $96,890,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002,737 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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