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

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.50.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VSAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Viasat from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on Viasat from $52.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 price target on Viasat and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, New Street Research started coverage on Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock.

Viasat Stock Up 5.1%

NASDAQ:VSAT opened at $85.57 on Thursday. Viasat has a 12-month low of $8.61 and a 12-month high of $87.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.04 and a beta of 1.66. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Viasat news, SVP Craig Andrew Miller sold 5,260 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $263,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 21,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,600. The trade was a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,400 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.21, for a total value of $110,904.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,175,166.51. This represents a 8.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,071 shares of company stock worth $1,804,437. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BankChampaign National Association bought a new position in Viasat during the first quarter worth about $437,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its holdings in Viasat by 88.4% during the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 29,825 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 13,998 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Viasat by 11.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 52,637 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,412,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council lifted its holdings in Viasat by 92.6% during the first quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 336,056 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $15,391,000 after acquiring an additional 161,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Viasat by 78.1% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,026 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,766 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.