Laura Black Sells 71,000 Shares of Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Stock

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) Director Laura Black sold 71,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.12, for a total value of $3,274,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 71,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,297,441.64. The trade was a 49.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Viavi Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of VIAV stock opened at $38.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -258.25 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $42.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.30. Viavi Solutions Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.44 and a 12 month high of $60.43.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $443.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. Viavi Solutions had a positive return on equity of 19.60% and a negative net margin of 2.00%.The firm’s revenue was up 52.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. Viavi Solutions has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Viavi Solutions Inc. will post 1.32 EPS for the current year.

Viavi Solutions News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viavi Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating and maintained a $70 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The firm’s view supports optimism about Viavi’s exposure to network testing, communications infrastructure and AI-related growth. Rosenblatt Securities rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Viavi’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $0.34 per share versus the $0.30 consensus estimate and revenue of $443.1 million versus forecasts of $432.6 million. Revenue increased 52.5% year over year, and management guided to first-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings of $0.40 to $0.42 per share.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable overall. Viavi has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $49.88, although several firms recently lowered their targets. Institutional investors also own approximately 95.5% of the company’s outstanding shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Laura Black sold 71,000 shares for approximately $3.27 million at an average price of $46.12. She retained 71,497 shares, but the transaction reduced her direct ownership by 49.83%. The sale was disclosed in an SEC filing and may reflect personal portfolio management rather than a change in the company’s outlook. Laura Black insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: The insider transaction is likely weighing on sentiment because it was large relative to the director’s holdings and occurred near recent highs. The stock also remains volatile after a sharp rally, with a negative net margin and a valuation that is difficult to assess using its negative P/E ratio.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VIAV. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viavi Solutions during the second quarter worth $33,000. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Viavi Solutions by 96.2% in the first quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 775 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Viavi Solutions in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Viavi Solutions by 83.2% during the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 852 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the second quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.54% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on VIAV shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Viavi Solutions from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Viavi Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. B. Riley Financial cut their target price on Viavi Solutions from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Viavi Solutions from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Viavi Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Viavi Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.88.

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.