Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $90.6667.

Several research firms have weighed in on VSAT. Barclays set a $49.00 target price on Viasat in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Viasat from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. New Street Research initiated coverage on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viasat from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Viasat in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.69, for a total value of $211,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $931,590. This trade represents a 18.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard A. Baldridge sold 223,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.62, for a total value of $18,021,956.04. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 646,791 shares of company stock valued at $45,603,368. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Viasat during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,863,374,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Viasat in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $830,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Viasat during the second quarter worth approximately $11,902,000. South Dakota Investment Council lifted its stake in shares of Viasat by 92.6% in the first quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 336,056 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $15,391,000 after buying an additional 161,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Everett Harris & Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Viasat during the second quarter valued at about $5,423,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Viasat Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VSAT opened at $75.32 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -313.83 and a beta of 1.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.11. Viasat has a 1-year low of $26.10 and a 1-year high of $93.03.

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.