Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Rating Increased to Equal Weight at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $49.00 price target on the communications equipment provider’s stock, up from their prior price target of $23.00.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VSAT. Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research report on Friday, January 16th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Viasat from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.43.

Viasat Stock Performance

Shares of VSAT stock opened at $56.33 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.01. Viasat has a one year low of $7.36 and a one year high of $59.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of -21.75 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.90.

Insider Transactions at Viasat

In other Viasat news, CAO Camellia E. Fitzgerald sold 2,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $134,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,946 shares in the company, valued at $477,408. This trade represents a 22.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,400 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.21, for a total value of $110,904.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,166.51. This trade represents a 8.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 40,881 shares of company stock worth $1,939,317. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VSAT. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Viasat during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $583,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Viasat by 278.1% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,427 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 4,727 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Viasat in the fourth quarter worth $277,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viasat in the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Viasat by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 16,716 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 3,144 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.