Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Here's Why

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 7,239,206 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 140% from the previous session's volume of 3,021,686 shares.The stock last traded at $12.86 and had previously closed at $11.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on VSAT. William Blair restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of Viasat from $56.00 to $52.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Viasat from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Viasat from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Viasat from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $18.88.

Viasat Trading Up 10.5%

The stock has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -3.75 and a beta of 0.98. The business's fifty day moving average is $9.42 and its 200 day moving average is $9.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VSAT. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Viasat during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,801,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Viasat by 264.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 104,708 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $891,000 after purchasing an additional 75,997 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Viasat by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 319,471 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $2,719,000 after purchasing an additional 5,573 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Viasat by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 413,122 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $3,516,000 after purchasing an additional 12,802 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Viasat during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Viasat Company Profile

Viasat, Inc provides broadband and communications products and services worldwide. The company's Satellite Services segment offers satellite-based fixed broadband services, including broadband internet access and voice over internet protocol services to consumers and businesses; in-flight entertainment and aviation software services to commercial airlines and private business jets; satellite-based connectivity services; mobile broadband services, including satellite-based internet services to energy offshore vessels, cruise ships, consumer ferries, and yachts; and energy services, which include ultra-secure solutions IP connectivity, bandwidth-optimized over-the-top applications, industrial internet-of-things big data enablement, and industry-leading machine learning analytics.