Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 52,974 Shares of Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,900,025 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,974 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 13.46% of Viavi Solutions worth $301,990,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Viavi Solutions by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 3,212 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Viavi Solutions during the fourth quarter worth approximately $75,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Viavi Solutions by 836.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 8,323 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 7,434 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Solution LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viavi Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Viavi Solutions by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 13,442 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 1,792 shares in the last quarter. 95.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VIAV shares. Northland Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $14.00 target price (up from $13.00) on shares of Viavi Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $13.00 target price (up from $12.00) on shares of Viavi Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus increased their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Viavi Solutions from $10.60 to $11.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Viavi Solutions from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $12.72.

Viavi Solutions Stock Down 5.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VIAV opened at $9.86 on Friday. Viavi Solutions Inc. has a 52-week low of $6.60 and a 52-week high of $12.91. The company has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of -54.77 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 3.18 and a current ratio of 3.55. The company has a fifty day moving average of $11.39 and a 200-day moving average of $10.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Paul Mcnab sold 9,034 shares of Viavi Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.09, for a total transaction of $100,187.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 38,775 shares in the company, valued at $430,014.75. This trade represents a 18.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Luke M. Scrivanich sold 14,323 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.24, for a total transaction of $160,990.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 55,877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,057.48. This trade represents a 20.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,164 shares of company stock worth $711,422 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Viavi Solutions Profile

Viavi Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of network test, monitoring, and assurance solutions for communications service providers, enterprises, network equipment manufacturers, government and avionics. It operates through the following segments: Network Enablement, Service Enablement, and Optical Security and Performance.