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

Shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $90.6667.

Several brokerages have weighed in on VSAT. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Viasat from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research raised Viasat from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Viasat in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Viasat Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSAT opened at $74.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -309.62 and a beta of 1.70. Viasat has a 1 year low of $26.10 and a 1 year high of $93.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.09.

Insider Transactions at Viasat

In other Viasat news, SVP Benjamin Palmer sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.75, for a total value of $133,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 30,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,008,307.25. The trade was a 6.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.69, for a total value of $211,725.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $931,590. This trade represents a 18.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 244,291 shares of company stock valued at $19,526,868 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viasat

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the second quarter worth $1,863,374,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Viasat by 8,886.4% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 12,015,500 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,079,112,000 after buying an additional 11,881,792 shares during the last quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN raised its holdings in Viasat by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 5,845,100 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $85,338,000 after acquiring an additional 796,349 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Viasat by 18.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,789,539 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $219,346,000 after acquiring an additional 738,656 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Viasat by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,328,854 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $115,266,000 after acquiring an additional 273,369 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

About Viasat

Viasat, Inc is a communications company that provides satellite-based connectivity and related services to consumers, businesses, governments and other organizations. The company develops and operates satellite networks, ground infrastructure and connectivity systems designed to deliver broadband, communications and data services in locations where terrestrial networks may be limited.

Viasat’s offerings include residential and community internet access, in-flight connectivity for commercial and business aviation, maritime communications, and connectivity solutions for government and defense customers.