Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.50.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VSAT. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Viasat from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays raised Viasat from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $23.00 to $49.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on Viasat from $52.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $36.00 to $48.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, New Street Research initiated coverage on Viasat in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company.

Viasat Stock Performance

VSAT opened at $85.57 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $60.82 and a 200-day moving average of $47.50. Viasat has a 52-week low of $8.61 and a 52-week high of $87.48. The company has a market cap of $11.62 billion, a PE ratio of -33.04 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.13.

Insider Transactions at Viasat

In related news, SVP Craig Andrew Miller sold 5,260 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $263,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 21,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,600. This trade represents a 19.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert James Blair sold 30,411 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.04, for a total value of $1,430,533.44. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 38,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,792,600.32. This represents a 44.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,071 shares of company stock valued at $1,804,437. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viasat

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VSAT. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Viasat by 6,815.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 899 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 886 shares during the period. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 1st quarter valued at $51,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viasat Company Profile

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.