Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $34.50.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AVNW shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aviat Networks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Aviat Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on Aviat Networks from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $35.00) on shares of Aviat Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Aviat Networks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd.

Aviat Networks Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of AVNW opened at $24.95 on Monday. Aviat Networks has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve month high of $27.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $321.86 million, a P/E ratio of 22.28 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $23.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.83.

Aviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.67 million. Aviat Networks had a net margin of 3.27% and a return on equity of 10.71%. On average, research analysts predict that Aviat Networks will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Aviat Networks news, SVP Gary Croke sold 6,914 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $181,146.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,149,341.60. This trade represents a 13.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Pete A. Smith sold 17,086 shares of Aviat Networks stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total transaction of $449,874.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 358,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,445,808.51. The trade was a 4.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aviat Networks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AVNW. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Aviat Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aviat Networks in the second quarter worth $28,000. Potomac Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aviat Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Comerica Bank lifted its position in shares of Aviat Networks by 40.2% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,720 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Aviat Networks by 96.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,281 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.62% of the company’s stock.

Aviat Networks Company Profile

Aviat Networks, Inc is a specialist in wireless transport solutions, designing, manufacturing and selling microwave networking products that enable the secure and reliable transmission of data, voice and video. The company’s offerings address mission-critical communications needs for a broad range of end markets, including telecommunications service providers, utilities, government agencies and enterprises. Its product portfolio spans high-capacity packet microwave radios, IP transport systems and network management software.

Aviat’s core product lines include the WTM series of packet microwave platforms, which deliver scalable throughput and advanced resilience features, and the Eclipse packet microwave systems, which combine broadband capacity with synchronization, security and quality-of-service capabilities.