Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus raised Viavi Solutions’ price target from $60 to $65 and maintained a Buy rating, implying 57.66% upside from the prior close.
• Viavi exceeded quarterly expectations with EPS of $0.34 versus $0.30 forecast and revenue of $443.1 million, up 52.5% year over year. Its Q1 fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $0.40–$0.42 also exceeded consensus estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with six Buy ratings and an average rating of Moderate Buy, although CEO Oleg Khaykin’s sale of 136,547 shares and other insider selling provide a cautionary signal.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the communications equipment provider's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target suggests a potential upside of 57.66% from the stock's previous close.

VIAV has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Viavi Solutions from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. B. Riley Financial cut their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of Viavi Solutions from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Viavi Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Viavi Solutions from $25.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.88.

Viavi Solutions Stock Performance

Viavi Solutions stock traded up $2.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $41.23. 1,803,434 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,315,423. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $44.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.81. Viavi Solutions has a twelve month low of $10.02 and a twelve month high of $60.43. The firm has a market cap of $9.64 billion, a PE ratio of -170.15 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.61.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. Viavi Solutions had a positive return on equity of 16.80% and a negative net margin of 4.03%.The business had revenue of $443.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $432.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 52.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Viavi Solutions has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Viavi Solutions will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Oleg Khaykin sold 136,547 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.82, for a total value of $7,075,865.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,188,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,603,512.36. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viavi Solutions

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Viavi Solutions by 96.2% during the first quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 775 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Viavi Solutions by 83.2% in the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 852 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Viavi Solutions by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,400 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Viavi Solutions by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 24,555 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its position in shares of Viavi Solutions by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 32,572 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the period. 95.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Viavi Solutions

Here are the key news stories impacting Viavi Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat expectations. Viavi reported adjusted EPS of $0.34, above the $0.30 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $443.1 million versus expectations of $432.6 million. Revenue increased 52.5% year over year, and EPS more than doubled from $0.13 a year earlier. Viavi Solutions Tops Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 outlook was well above Wall Street forecasts. Viavi guided for first-quarter EPS of $0.40-$0.42, compared with the $0.27 consensus, and revenue of $450 million-$460 million versus the $433.2 million consensus. Management also highlighted its goal of reaching a $500 million quarterly revenue run rate in calendar 2027. Viavi anticipates Q1 FY2027 EPS of $0.40-$0.42
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish despite some target revisions. Rosenblatt reaffirmed its Buy rating and $70 target, while Needham maintained a Buy rating and reduced its target from $68 to $60. Both targets imply substantial upside from recent trading levels. Needham lowers Viavi price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are weighing growth against valuation. The earnings beat and outlook support the bullish case, but commentary has raised questions about whether the current valuation fully reflects Viavi’s rapid growth and margin improvement. Viavi Solutions following earnings beat and guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider trading is a cautionary signal. QuiverQuant reported 26 insider sales and no insider purchases during the past six months, including substantial sales by CEO Oleg Khaykin. Such activity may temper enthusiasm, even though it does not necessarily indicate a change in business outlook.

About Viavi Solutions

Viavi Solutions Inc is a provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications service providers, cable operators, enterprises and government agencies. The company offers an extensive portfolio of fiber optic and copper cable test and measurement instruments, wireless network testing equipment and network performance monitoring software. Its products are designed to support the deployment, maintenance and optimization of high-speed broadband, 5G wireless, data center and enterprise networks.

Viavi's product offerings are organized into two primary segments: Network & Service Enablement and Optical Security & Performance.

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