Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT)

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 27,984 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 352% compared to the average volume of 6,187 call options.

Viasat News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat partnered with Magnite to bring programmatic advertising to in-flight Wi-Fi, creating a new monetization opportunity for its connectivity platform. Viasat (VSAT) Partners With Magnite To Bring Programmatic Ads To In Flight Wi Fi
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are reacting to recent U.S. Space Force contract wins, which strengthen Viasat’s secure satellite communications business and support a more bullish outlook for defense-related revenue. Viasat stock jumps as Space Force wins fuel bullish analyst outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $140 price target, signaling meaningful upside from recent trading levels and helping fuel the rally. Finviz coverage reference
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity surged, with traders buying far more call options than usual, a sign that some market participants are betting on continued upside in VSAT.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are debating Viasat’s long-term role in the satellite spectrum market, and commentary around the Rocket Lab-Iridium deal has added attention to the sector, though the direct impact on Viasat is less certain. VSAT stock clocks best day in over 10 months
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary urged investors to sell VSAT, suggesting not all market participants are convinced the rally is sustainable. 3 reasons to sell VSAT and 1 stock to buy instead

Viasat Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSAT opened at $89.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -309.69 and a beta of 1.71. Viasat has a 12 month low of $14.00 and a 12 month high of $89.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $68.89 and its 200 day moving average is $53.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.34). Viasat had a positive return on equity of 1.58% and a negative net margin of 0.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.02) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Viasat will post -0.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Garrett L. Chase sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.41, for a total value of $249,640.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,239 shares in the company, valued at $2,136,855.99. The trade was a 10.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total transaction of $172,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $759,000. This represents a 18.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 438,275 shares of company stock valued at $28,608,719 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Viasat in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. EFG International AG purchased a new stake in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Viasat in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VSAT shares. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Viasat from $58.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Barclays set a $49.00 target price on Viasat in a report on Friday, May 29th. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Viasat from $94.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Viasat in a report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.11.

About Viasat

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.