Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.57.

Several research analysts have weighed in on VSAT shares. StockNews.com raised Viasat from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Viasat from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Viasat in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $12.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Viasat Stock Up 3.8 %

Shares of VSAT traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $10.21. 503,525 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,618,028. Viasat has a 52 week low of $6.69 and a 52 week high of $26.70. The company has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.05 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

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Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The communications equipment provider reported ($1.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by ($0.70). Viasat had a negative return on equity of 8.37% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Viasat will post -0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Viasat

In related news, insider Cpp Investment Board Private H sold 3,750,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.00, for a total value of $33,750,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,795,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,158,006. This represents a 43.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VSAT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Viasat by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 66,227 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 3,807 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viasat in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $322,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Viasat by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,523,465 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $18,190,000 after acquiring an additional 115,909 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in shares of Viasat by 361.3% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 77,880 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 60,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Viasat by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 63,656 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $760,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Viasat Company Profile

Viasat, Inc provides broadband and communications products and services worldwide. The company's Satellite Services segment offers satellite-based fixed broadband services, including broadband internet access and voice over internet protocol services to consumers and businesses; in-flight entertainment and aviation software services to commercial airlines and private business jets; satellite-based connectivity services; mobile broadband services, including satellite-based internet services to energy offshore vessels, cruise ships, consumer ferries, and yachts; and energy services, which include ultra-secure solutions IP connectivity, bandwidth-optimized over-the-top applications, industrial internet-of-things big data enablement, and industry-leading machine learning analytics.