Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $86.16, but opened at $77.39. Viasat shares last traded at $81.57, with a volume of 443,005 shares changing hands.

More Viasat News

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat reported fiscal 2027 first-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.17 per share, above the Zacks consensus estimate of $0.10 and substantially better than the prior-year loss. Lower interest expense helped narrow the company’s losses. ViaSat Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record awards and growth in its Defense and Advanced Technologies business, or DAT, while reaffirming expectations for stronger growth later in the fiscal year. Viasat Q1 Earnings Call Centers on DAT Growth & ViaSat-3
• Positive Sentiment: Two ViaSat-3 satellites are nearing commercial service, a development that could support future connectivity revenue and cash flow. The company also pointed to stronger cash generation ahead. Viasat Q1 Results Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicates elevated bullish speculation: investors purchased 15,854 call options, roughly 154% above typical daily volume. Options activity can increase volatility but does not confirm a fundamental change. Investors Purchase High Volume of Viasat Call Options
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in at approximately $1.16 billion, below the $1.20 billion analyst forecast and down about 1.2% year over year. The shortfall is likely offsetting the earnings beat, particularly because satellite investments continue to pressure margins. Viasat Stock Hits the Brakes After Q1 Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Viasat from $58.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. New Street Research began coverage on shares of Viasat in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Viasat from $94.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 price target on Viasat and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Viasat in a research report on Monday, June 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.11.

Viasat Stock Down 4.5%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.06. The company has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a PE ratio of -283.76 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.34). Viasat had a negative net margin of 0.73% and a positive return on equity of 1.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.02) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Viasat Inc. will post -0.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Theresa Wise sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total value of $172,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $759,000. This trade represents a 18.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mark D. Dankberg sold 400,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.76, for a total value of $25,904,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,082,196 shares in the company, valued at $70,083,012.96. The trade was a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 442,803 shares of company stock valued at $28,944,520. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Viasat by 2,821.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,222,981 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $111,065,000 after buying an additional 3,112,670 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Viasat by 673.7% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,386,089 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206,935 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Viasat by 64.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,866,242 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $29,866,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128,338 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Viasat by 43.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,307,187 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $96,890,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tema ETFs LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Viasat by 229,857.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 965,820 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $86,740,000 after buying an additional 965,400 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viasat Company 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.