Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $37.44, but opened at $41.29. Viasat shares last traded at $39.6950, with a volume of 204,096 shares changing hands.

Key Stories Impacting Viasat

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings significantly beat expectations — Viasat reported GAAP EPS of $0.79 vs. consensus ~ $0.05, a large swing from a year‑ago loss; that beat is the main upward catalyst for the stock today. Viasat Releases Third-Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reiterating/adding bullish ratings — William Blair and other commentators have reiterated Buy ratings and cited the pullback + upcoming strategic catalysts as a buying opportunity, supporting momentum. ViaSat: Share-Price Pullback and Strategic Catalysts Create a ‘Double Special Situation’ Buy Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Company is targeting free cash‑flow growth via capital efficiency and outlined ViaSat‑3 launches — management emphasized a path to improved cash generation as satellite capacity comes online, a potential multi‑quarter positive for valuation. Viasat outlines ViaSat‑3 launches and targets free cash flow growth through capital efficiency
• Positive Sentiment: New Ka‑band launch aims to boost government business and competitive positioning — a strategic product/capability update that could drive higher‑margin government contracts over time. Viasat Ka‑Band Launch Targets Government Growth And Competitive Positioning
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue largely in line with expectations — Q3 revenue was about $1.16B (roughly +3% y/y) and close to street estimates, so upside is currently EPS‑driven rather than top‑line surprise. Compared to Estimates, ViaSat (VSAT) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings call noted satellite timing risks/delays — management flagged schedule challenges for capacity rollouts (ViaSat‑3 timing), which could delay revenue and margin benefits and keeps execution risk elevated. Viasat Inc (VSAT) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Growth Amid Satellite Delays
• Negative Sentiment: Some sales/segment expectations missed — outlets reported misses to certain sales expectations and the company still shows negative net margin and ROE, which could cap multiple expansion until cash‑flow improvement is clearer. Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) misses Q4 CY2025 sales expectations

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VSAT shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Viasat from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $23.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Viasat in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Viasat in a report on Friday, January 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.86.

Viasat Trading Up 11.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $38.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of -10.45 and a beta of 1.47.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, November 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11) by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. Viasat had a negative return on equity of 3.65% and a negative net margin of 11.40%.Viasat’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.23) EPS. Equities analysts expect that Viasat Inc. will post -0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Viasat

In related news, CAO Shawn Lynn Duffy sold 51,480 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.38, for a total transaction of $1,872,842.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,043.98. The trade was a 89.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Benjamin Edward Palmer sold 2,780 shares of Viasat stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.06, for a total transaction of $100,246.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,003,585.86. This represents a 9.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 359,339 shares of company stock valued at $13,240,768 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viasat

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VSAT. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of Viasat in the 4th quarter worth about $512,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Viasat by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,039 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Viasat by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 24,161 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Viasat by 84.3% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 38,700 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 17,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Viasat by 254.2% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 41,800 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 30,000 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Viasat

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.