Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on the stock from $28.00 to $36.00. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. Viavi Solutions traded as high as $31.94 and last traded at $32.3080, with a volume of 1221529 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.71.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities set a $27.00 target price on shares of Viavi Solutions in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Viavi Solutions from $16.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Viavi Solutions from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Viavi Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Six 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viavi Solutions

In related news, SVP Gary W. Staley sold 24,237 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.93, for a total value of $579,991.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,267 shares in the company, valued at $3,260,869.31. The trade was a 15.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul Mcnab sold 3,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.89, for a total value of $116,792.39. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,532.22. This represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 516,765 shares of company stock valued at $13,306,119 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Viavi Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $36 and put a “buy” rating on VIAV — a notable analyst upgrade that supports upside expectations and likely attracts buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: VIAVI will showcase AI‑fabric and optical test advances at OFC 2026 (1.6T Ethernet, silicon photonics, PCIe, fiber sensing) — product roadmap visibility ahead of industry buyers could support long‑term revenue expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: NTT DOCOMO and VIAVI demonstrated AI‑driven 6G RAN control with up to ~20% throughput improvement via digital‑twin/AI techniques — a technology win that strengthens VIAVI’s positioning in next‑generation wireless test and assurance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market writeups summarized mixed views and updated targets; consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” but price targets vary — useful context but not an immediate catalyst by itself. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales: EVP Paul McNab sold 3,551 shares (~$32.89 avg) and SVP Kevin Siebert sold 7,264 shares (~$34.78 avg) in early March — executive disposals are weighing on sentiment and can create short‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market headlines highlight the stock’s decline today and flag insider selling, which likely amplified the move. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage note: a retail/analysis piece flagged a recent executive sale (CMO/EVP) and questioned whether the stock is a buy post‑sale — adds narrative that may keep short‑term caution elevated. Read More.

Institutional Trading of Viavi Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in Viavi Solutions by 39.7% in the third quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 224,014 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,843,000 after acquiring an additional 63,605 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Viavi Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,764,000. Oak Ridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viavi Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,855,000. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Viavi Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,187,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Viavi Solutions by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 974,906 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $12,372,000 after purchasing an additional 221,949 shares in the last quarter. 95.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Viavi Solutions Stock Down 6.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a current ratio of 2.61. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -183.55 and a beta of 0.92.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.03. Viavi Solutions had a negative net margin of 3.38% and a positive return on equity of 13.03%. The company had revenue of $369.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $365.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 36.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Viavi Solutions has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.220-4.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Viavi Solutions Inc. will post 0.26 earnings per share for the current year.

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.