Theresa Wise Sells 2,500 Shares of Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Stock

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $931,590. This represents a 18.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Theresa Wise also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 8th, Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of Viasat stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total transaction of $172,500.00.

Viasat Price Performance

Shares of VSAT traded up $0.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $81.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,385,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,143,439. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.32. Viasat Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.95 and a 1-year high of $93.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a current ratio of 2.41. The company has a market capitalization of $11.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -341.62 and a beta of 1.72.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.34). The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Viasat had a positive return on equity of 1.45% and a negative net margin of 0.64%.Viasat’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.02) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Viasat Inc. will post -0.28 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viasat

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Viasat in the 4th quarter worth about $830,000. South Dakota Investment Council boosted its position in shares of Viasat by 92.6% during the 1st quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 336,056 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $15,391,000 after purchasing an additional 161,552 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Viasat by 84.3% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 38,700 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 17,700 shares during the period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Viasat by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 84,000 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,895,000 after purchasing an additional 42,000 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Viasat in the first quarter worth approximately $2,757,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Viasat News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat reported adjusted earnings of approximately $0.17 per share, above the roughly $0.10 consensus estimate and well ahead of the year-ago result. Lower interest expense helped improve profitability. Viasat Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects about $180 million in fiscal 2027 free cash flow while retaining its $950 million-$1 billion capital-expenditure plan. Record Direct-to-Air awards and growth in government, aviation and maritime connectivity provide additional potential catalysts. Viasat Free Cash Flow Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its Viasat price target from $90 to $105 and maintained a Buy rating. The firm cited progress toward placing two ViaSat-3 satellites into service, which could expand capacity and support future growth. Needham Raises Viasat Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Viasat’s recent rally has increased investor focus on execution. ViaSat-3 commercialization, new contracts and demand for connectivity services must accelerate enough to justify the stock’s higher valuation, while competition remains a risk. Viasat Rally and Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of about $1.16 billion fell short of the $1.20 billion analyst estimate and declined year over year. The revenue shortfall is weighing on the earnings beat because it raises questions about near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation and sizable capital-spending requirements leave less room for execution setbacks. In addition, Director John Stenbit sold 616 shares and SVP Benjamin Palmer sold 2,400 shares at approximately $75.46 per share; the transactions are modest but represent negative insider-activity signals. Viasat Insider Selling

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VSAT shares. Barclays set a $49.00 price target on Viasat in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research raised Viasat from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Viasat in a research report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. New Street Research initiated coverage on Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 price target on Viasat and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $85.78.

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.