Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Stock Lifted to “Strong-Buy” by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Viavi Solutions from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered Viavi Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Weiss Ratings cut Viavi Solutions from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price objective on Viavi Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut their price objective on Viavi Solutions from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.83.

Viavi Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VIAV opened at $28.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $7.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.63 and a beta of 1.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.67 and its 200-day moving average is $38.64. Viavi Solutions has a 1-year low of $15.51 and a 1-year high of $60.43.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. Viavi Solutions had a net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 25.36%. The business had revenue of $469.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $455.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. Viavi Solutions’s revenue was up 56.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Viavi Solutions will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Laura Black sold 71,000 shares of Viavi Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.12, for a total transaction of $3,274,520.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 71,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,297,441.64. This trade represents a 49.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Luke Scrivanich sold 35,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.24, for a total value of $1,299,783.84. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. 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 sold 199,694 shares of company stock worth $7,976,233 in the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viavi Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIAV. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Viavi Solutions during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,228,529,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Viavi Solutions by 1,402.9% in 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 buying an additional 5,264,496 shares during the last quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the first quarter valued at about $3,187,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,048,000. Finally, Ma Investment Partnership LP increased its stake in shares of Viavi Solutions by 150.0% in the first 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. Institutional investors own 95.54% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Viavi Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viavi reported adjusted earnings of $0.47 per share, beating estimates of about $0.40–$0.41 and rising from $0.15 a year earlier; revenue also topped expectations. The company cited strength in data-center and aerospace/defense demand, and expects sequential revenue growth through fiscal 2027, with semiconductor testing adding to its opportunities. Article: VIAV Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Data Center, A&D Strength
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a $500 million share-buyback plan, which could support per-share earnings and signal confidence in its prospects. Article: Viavi announces a $500 million equity buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham cut its price target from $60 to $53 but retained a Buy rating. The lower target is a caution, though the analyst remains constructive. Article: Needham analyst recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: UBS lowered its target from $44 to $33 and moved to Neutral. Although the revised target is still above the quoted $28.47 share price, the cut and less favorable rating could weigh on sentiment. Article: UBS analyst recommendation

Viavi Solutions Company Profile

Viavi Solutions Inc develops testing, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications networks. Its products and software help service providers, equipment makers and enterprises build, maintain and troubleshoot fiber-optic, broadband, wireless and other network infrastructure, including technologies used in 5G and data centers.

The company also makes optical technologies and security products, including features used to authenticate banknotes, identity documents and branded goods.