Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT)

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 12,142 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 91% compared to the average volume of 6,372 call options.

Viasat Price Performance

NASDAQ VSAT traded up $1.73 on Wednesday, hitting $70.82. 299,294 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,038,006. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $75.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.48. The company has a market cap of $9.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -294.15 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Viasat has a 1-year low of $26.10 and a 1-year high of $93.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $931,590. This represents a 18.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard Baldridge sold 223,542 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was 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. Insiders have sold a total of 243,763 shares of company stock valued at $19,537,987 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Viasat during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Viasat in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Viasat by 935.3% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 352 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Viasat during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Viasat from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Viasat from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Viasat presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.67.

About Viasat

Viasat, Inc is a communications company that provides satellite connectivity and related services to commercial, government and consumer customers. Its offerings include broadband internet, in-flight connectivity, maritime communications, enterprise networking and secure communications for government and defense applications.

The company operates a fleet of communications satellites and develops supporting ground infrastructure, network services and connectivity equipment. Viasat serves customers across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and other international markets, including airlines, shipping companies, businesses, government agencies and households in areas where terrestrial broadband is limited.

Viasat was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.