Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Viavi Solutions Inc. experienced a **34.7% increase** in short interest in August, with a total of **10,590,000 shares** shorted, indicating growing bearish sentiment among investors.
• The company reported earnings of **$0.13 per share**, surpassing analysts' expectations of **$0.12**, and recorded a **15.3% year-over-year revenue growth** of **$290.50 million** for the quarter ending August 7th.
• Several analysts have upgraded Viavi's stock rating, with **Susquehanna raising its target price to $15.00** and **Morgan Stanley** moving it from **'underweight' to 'equal weight.'**

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 10,590,000 shares, anincreaseof34.7% from the July 31st total of 7,860,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,500,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Approximately4.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately4.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,500,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days.

Viavi Solutions Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ VIAV opened at $11.66 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Viavi Solutions has a 1-year low of $7.80 and a 1-year high of $12.91. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $10.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.26. The company has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 72.88 and a beta of 0.91.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01. Viavi Solutions had a return on equity of 8.02% and a net margin of 3.21%.The firm had revenue of $290.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $285.19 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.08 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. Viavi Solutions has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.130-0.14 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Viavi Solutions will post 0.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viavi Solutions

In related news, SVP Kevin Christopher Siebert sold 13,115 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.18, for a total transaction of $146,625.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 71,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $795,557.62. This trade represents a 15.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Richard Belluzzo sold 8,385 shares of Viavi Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.34, for a total transaction of $95,085.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 225,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,634.94. This trade represents a 3.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 54,873 shares of company stock valued at $605,095. 1.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viavi Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIAV. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Viavi Solutions in the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Viavi Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viavi Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Viavi Solutions by 29.1% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,046 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Viavi Solutions by 481.2% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,450 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 7,824 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VIAV. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Viavi Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and set a $15.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Viavi Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Viavi Solutions from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $11.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of Viavi Solutions in a report on Friday, June 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Viavi Solutions has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.50.

Viavi Solutions Company Profile

Viavi Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of network test, monitoring, and assurance solutions for communications service providers, enterprises, network equipment manufacturers, government and avionics. It operates through the following segments: Network Enablement, Service Enablement, and Optical Security and Performance.

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