Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Price Target Cut to $33.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $44.00 to $33.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the communications equipment provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on VIAV. B. Riley Financial decreased their target price on shares of Viavi Solutions from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Viavi Solutions in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Viavi Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Viavi Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.83.

Viavi Solutions Stock Performance

VIAV stock opened at $26.30 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.59. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 109.59 and a beta of 1.31. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $15.51 and a fifty-two week high of $60.43.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. Viavi Solutions had a return on equity of 27.07% and a net margin of 3.97%. The company had revenue of $469.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $455.06 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 56.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Viavi Solutions will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viavi Solutions

In other news, EVP Ilan Daskal sold 56,290 shares of Viavi Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.29, for a total value of $2,042,764.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $367,690.28. This trade represents a 84.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Luke M. Scrivanich sold 35,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.24, for a total transaction of $1,299,783.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 39,598 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,435,031.52. This represents a 47.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 199,694 shares of company stock worth $7,976,233 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Viavi Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIAV. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Viavi Solutions in the second quarter valued at about $1,228,529,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Viavi Solutions by 1,402.9% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,639,752 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $236,418,000 after purchasing an additional 5,264,496 shares during the last quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Viavi Solutions during the first quarter worth about $3,187,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Viavi Solutions during the first quarter worth about $3,048,000. Finally, Ma Investment Partnership LP grew its position in Viavi Solutions by 150.0% in the 1st quarter. Ma Investment Partnership LP now owns 500,000 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $16,640,000 after purchasing an additional 300,000 shares in the last quarter. 95.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Viavi Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q1 adjusted EPS was $0.47, above the roughly $0.40–$0.41 consensus, while revenue of $469.3 million topped estimates of about $455 million and rose 56.9% year over year. Earnings increased from $0.15 a year earlier. VIAV Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Data Center, A&D Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects sequential revenue gains through fiscal 2027, with data-center and defense demand helping offset seasonal weakness. The company also sees expanding semiconductor-testing opportunities, supporting its growth outlook. VIAV Q1 Earnings Call Maps New Data Center Test Markets
• Positive Sentiment: Viavi announced a $500 million share-buyback plan, which may support demand for its shares and signals confidence in the business. Viavi announces a $500 million equity buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ reported average price target is $59.67, well above the referenced $26.30 share price, but targets are estimates rather than guarantees. Analysts’ average target price
• Negative Sentiment: Needham lowered its target to $53 from $60, a potential caution for investors; it nevertheless retained a Buy rating. Needham analyst recommendations

About Viavi Solutions

Viavi Solutions Inc (NASDAQ: VIAV) develops equipment, software and services used to test, monitor and secure communications networks. Its solutions support network operators, equipment manufacturers, government agencies and other organizations involved in the design, deployment and operation of wired and wireless networks.

The company’s products include fiber-optic and broadband test instruments, network performance and service-assurance software, optical spectrum analyzers, monitoring systems and tools for testing 5G and other advanced communications technologies.