Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Shares Gap Down After Insider Selling

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock had previously closed at $46.26, but opened at $43.30. Viavi Solutions shares last traded at $42.2990, with a volume of 356,777 shares.

Specifically, Director Laura A. Black sold 71,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.12, for a total transaction of $3,274,520.00. Following the sale, the director owned 71,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,297,441.64. This represents a 49.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VIAV shares. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Viavi Solutions from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viavi Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Viavi Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Viavi Solutions from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Viavi Solutions in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Viavi Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.88.

Trending Headlines about Viavi Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating and maintained a $70 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The firm’s view supports optimism about Viavi’s exposure to network testing, communications infrastructure and AI-related growth. Rosenblatt Securities rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Viavi’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $0.34 per share versus the $0.30 consensus estimate and revenue of $443.1 million versus forecasts of $432.6 million. Revenue increased 52.5% year over year, and management guided to first-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings of $0.40 to $0.42 per share.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable overall. Viavi has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $49.88, although several firms recently lowered their targets. Institutional investors also own approximately 95.5% of the company’s outstanding shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Laura Black sold 71,000 shares for approximately $3.27 million at an average price of $46.12. She retained 71,497 shares, but the transaction reduced her direct ownership by 49.83%. The sale was disclosed in an SEC filing and may reflect personal portfolio management rather than a change in the company’s outlook. Laura Black insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: The insider transaction is likely weighing on sentiment because it was large relative to the director’s holdings and occurred near recent highs. The stock also remains volatile after a sharp rally, with a negative net margin and a valuation that is difficult to assess using its negative P/E ratio.

Viavi Solutions Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $42.92 and a 200-day moving average of $40.30. The firm has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -258.25 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $443.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Viavi Solutions had a positive return on equity of 19.60% and a negative net margin of 2.00%.The company’s revenue was up 52.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. Viavi Solutions has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. Research analysts predict that Viavi Solutions Inc. will post 1.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viavi Solutions

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Viavi Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Viavi Solutions by 96.2% during the 1st quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 775 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Viavi Solutions by 83.2% during the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 852 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Viavi Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.54% of the company’s stock.

Viavi Solutions Company Profile

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.