Vanguard Group Inc. Has $497.02 Million Holdings in Viasat Inc. $VSAT

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) by 8.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,962,958 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,289,024 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.63% of Viasat worth $497,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSAT. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in Viasat during the second quarter worth about $1,099,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Viasat in the second quarter valued at $3,066,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in Viasat by 6.8% during the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,541,636 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $80,908,000 after buying an additional 351,404 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in Viasat in the third quarter valued at $4,230,000. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viasat during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,498,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on VSAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Viasat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Viasat in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Viasat from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $50.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price target on Viasat in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Shawn Lynn Duffy sold 51,480 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.38, for a total value of $1,872,842.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,021 shares in the company, valued at $219,043.98. This trade represents a 89.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark D. Dankberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.09, for a total transaction of $7,018,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,534,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,862,904.37. This trade represents a 11.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 354,290 shares of company stock worth $13,059,722. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Viasat Price Performance

Shares of VSAT stock opened at $47.66 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.10. The company has a market cap of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.40 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Viasat Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.36 and a twelve month high of $50.24.

Viasat Profile

Viasat, Inc (NASDAQ: VSAT) provides high‐capacity satellite broadband and wireless communications services to consumer, commercial and government customers worldwide. The company designs and operates satellite systems and network infrastructure to deliver secure, high-speed connectivity across remote and underserved regions, as well as managed networking solutions for enterprises and public sector agencies.

Viasat’s product offerings include residential and enterprise satellite internet services, in-flight connectivity for commercial airlines and business jets, and secure networking platforms tailored to defense and intelligence users.