Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Stock Price Up 7.3% – Time to Buy?

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT)’s share price traded up 7.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $51.73 and last traded at $52.1250. 1,294,634 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 1,700,342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $48.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price target on Viasat in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.86.

Viasat Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.30 billion, a PE ratio of -17.91 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $45.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.22.

Insider Activity at Viasat

In other Viasat news, CAO Camellia E. Fitzgerald sold 2,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $134,880.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $477,408. This trade represents a 22.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Craig Andrew Miller sold 5,260 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $263,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 21,252 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,600. This trade represents a 19.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 140,881 shares of company stock valued at $5,973,317 in the last ninety days. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Viasat

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VSAT. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Viasat in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Viasat by 6,815.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 899 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viasat during the third quarter worth $28,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viasat in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.