Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) Stock Price Target Cut by Needham & Company LLC

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) had its price target lowered by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $60.00 to $53.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the communications equipment provider’s stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s price target points to a potential upside of 86.16% from the company’s previous close.

VIAV has been the subject of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price objective on Viavi Solutions in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Viavi Solutions from $60.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Viavi Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Viavi Solutions from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Viavi Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.83.

Viavi Solutions Stock Up 8.3%

Shares of VIAV traded up $2.17 on Thursday, hitting $28.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,125,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,884,316. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $36.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.64. Viavi Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $15.51 and a fifty-two week high of $60.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 118.63 and a beta of 1.31.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $469.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $455.06 million. Viavi Solutions had a negative net margin of 2.00% and a positive return on equity of 19.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 56.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Viavi Solutions will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Viavi Solutions news, Director Laura Black sold 71,000 shares of Viavi Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.12, for a total transaction of $3,274,520.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 71,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,297,441.64. This trade represents a 49.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Luke Scrivanich sold 35,866 shares of Viavi Solutions stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.24, for a total value of $1,299,783.84. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 39,598 shares in the company, valued at $1,435,031.52. This trade represents a 47.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 199,694 shares of company stock valued at $7,976,233 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Viavi Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Viavi Solutions by 48.4% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,316 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Viavi Solutions by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 445,574 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $18,678,000 after acquiring an additional 95,326 shares during the last quarter. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Viavi Solutions by 52.3% in the third quarter. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC now owns 99,440 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $4,169,000 after purchasing an additional 34,165 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Viavi Solutions by 264.7% in the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 78,405 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,287,000 after acquiring an additional 56,909 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new position in Viavi Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,200,000. Institutional investors own 95.54% of the company’s stock.

Viavi Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viavi reported adjusted earnings of $0.47 per share, beating estimates of about $0.40–$0.41 and rising from $0.15 a year earlier; revenue also topped expectations. The company cited strength in data-center and aerospace/defense demand, and expects sequential revenue growth through fiscal 2027, with semiconductor testing adding to its opportunities. Article: VIAV Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Data Center, A&D Strength
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a $500 million share-buyback plan, which could support per-share earnings and signal confidence in its prospects. Article: Viavi announces a $500 million equity buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham cut its price target from $60 to $53 but retained a Buy rating. The lower target is a caution, though the analyst remains constructive. Article: Needham analyst recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: UBS lowered its target from $44 to $33 and moved to Neutral. Although the revised target is still above the quoted $28.47 share price, the cut and less favorable rating could weigh on sentiment. Article: UBS analyst recommendation

Viavi Solutions Company Profile

Viavi Solutions Inc (NASDAQ: VIAV) develops equipment, software and services used to test, monitor and secure communications networks. Its solutions support network operators, equipment manufacturers, government agencies and other organizations involved in the design, deployment and operation of wired and wireless networks.

The company’s products include fiber-optic and broadband test instruments, network performance and service-assurance software, optical spectrum analyzers, monitoring systems and tools for testing 5G and other advanced communications technologies.