Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 10,283,136 shares, a growth of 19.7% from the January 15th total of 8,590,921 shares. Approximately 4.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,964,332 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 5,964,332 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 4.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VIAV shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Viavi Solutions from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus raised their price target on Viavi Solutions from $16.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Viavi Solutions from $12.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Viavi Solutions from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on shares of Viavi Solutions from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Gary W. Staley sold 24,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.93, for a total transaction of $579,991.41. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,267 shares in the company, valued at $3,260,869.31. This represents a 15.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Oleg Khaykin sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.51, for a total transaction of $550,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 20,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,747.38. This trade represents a 49.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 832,253 shares of company stock valued at $18,676,085. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viavi Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VIAV. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Viavi Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Viavi Solutions by 86.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,845 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,317 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Viavi Solutions by 33.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 825 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Viavi Solutions by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,631 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 676 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.54% of the company’s stock.

Viavi Solutions Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VIAV opened at $26.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -146.27 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50 day moving average of $20.69 and a 200 day moving average of $16.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 2.32. Viavi Solutions has a 1-year low of $8.10 and a 1-year high of $28.15.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.03. Viavi Solutions had a negative net margin of 3.38% and a positive return on equity of 13.03%. The firm had revenue of $369.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.25 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 36.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Viavi Solutions has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.220-4.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Viavi Solutions will post 0.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Viavi Solutions Company Profile

Viavi Solutions Inc is a provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications service providers, cable operators, enterprises and government agencies. The company offers an extensive portfolio of fiber optic and copper cable test and measurement instruments, wireless network testing equipment and network performance monitoring software. Its products are designed to support the deployment, maintenance and optimization of high-speed broadband, 5G wireless, data center and enterprise networks.

Viavi’s product offerings are organized into two primary segments: Network & Service Enablement and Optical Security & Performance.