Vanguard Group Inc. Has $497.02 Million Position in Viasat Inc. $VSAT

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,962,958 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,289,024 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.13% of Viasat worth $497,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Viasat in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,099,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Viasat in the second quarter valued at $3,066,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its holdings in Viasat by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,541,636 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $80,908,000 after acquiring an additional 351,404 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new position in shares of Viasat in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,230,000. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viasat during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,498,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viasat Price Performance

VSAT stock opened at $47.66 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.40 and a beta of 1.47. Viasat Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.36 and a 52-week high of $50.24. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.10. 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 other news, CEO Mark D. Dankberg sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.34, for a total value of $4,034,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,434,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,887,617.62. This represents a 6.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Camellia E. Fitzgerald sold 2,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $134,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,946 shares in the company, valued at $477,408. This trade represents a 22.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 354,290 shares of company stock worth $13,059,722 in the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VSAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price target on Viasat in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Viasat from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.86.

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.