Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $34.50.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AVNW. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Aviat Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Roth Mkm cut their price target on Aviat Networks from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised Aviat Networks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective (up from $35.00) on shares of Aviat Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Aviat Networks in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Aviat Networks Price Performance

AVNW opened at $22.61 on Friday. Aviat Networks has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $27.02. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $291.67 million, a PE ratio of 20.19 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Aviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.67 million. Aviat Networks had a return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 3.27%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Aviat Networks will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Gary Croke sold 6,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $181,146.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,149,341.60. The trade was a 13.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Pete A. Smith sold 17,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total transaction of $449,874.38. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 358,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,445,808.51. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Aviat Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Aviat Networks in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Potomac Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Aviat Networks during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Aviat Networks by 40.2% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,720 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Aviat Networks by 96.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,281 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.62% of the company’s stock.

Aviat Networks Company Profile

Aviat Networks, Inc is a specialist in wireless transport solutions, designing, manufacturing and selling microwave networking products that enable the secure and reliable transmission of data, voice and video. The company’s offerings address mission-critical communications needs for a broad range of end markets, including telecommunications service providers, utilities, government agencies and enterprises. Its product portfolio spans high-capacity packet microwave radios, IP transport systems and network management software.

Aviat’s core product lines include the WTM series of packet microwave platforms, which deliver scalable throughput and advanced resilience features, and the Eclipse packet microwave systems, which combine broadband capacity with synchronization, security and quality-of-service capabilities.