Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Upgraded to Buy at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

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

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Viasat in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $12.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Viasat from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com raised Viasat from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Viasat in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, February 7th. Six equities research 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.57.

Viasat Trading Up 14.4 %

Viasat stock opened at $11.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $9.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.01. Viasat has a one year low of $6.69 and a one year high of $26.70.

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

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viasat

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of Viasat during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Viasat during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viasat in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Viasat by 850.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,963 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,546 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viasat Company Profile

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.