Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has $15.00 price target on the communications equipment provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Viasat from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Viasat from $26.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, February 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Viasat in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $12.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viasat has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.57.

Viasat Stock Down 1.4 %

Viasat stock opened at $11.55 on Monday. Viasat has a fifty-two week low of $6.69 and a fifty-two week high of $26.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.44 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $9.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The communications equipment provider reported ($1.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.53) by ($0.70). Viasat had a negative net margin of 9.49% and a negative return on equity of 8.37%. Analysts predict that Viasat will post -0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Cpp Investment Board Private H sold 3,750,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.00, for a total value of $33,750,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,795,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,158,006. This trade represents a 43.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Viasat

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VSAT. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Viasat by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,950 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,267 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in Viasat during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Viasat in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Viasat in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Viasat by 850.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,963 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,546 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Viasat

Viasat, Inc provides broadband and communications products and services worldwide. The company's Satellite Services segment offers satellite-based fixed broadband services, including broadband internet access and voice over internet protocol services to consumers and businesses; in-flight entertainment and aviation software services to commercial airlines and private business jets; satellite-based connectivity services; mobile broadband services, including satellite-based internet services to energy offshore vessels, cruise ships, consumer ferries, and yachts; and energy services, which include ultra-secure solutions IP connectivity, bandwidth-optimized over-the-top applications, industrial internet-of-things big data enablement, and industry-leading machine learning analytics.