California State Teachers Retirement System Has $6.12 Million Position in Viasat Inc. $VSAT

California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) by 22.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 133,708 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,931 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Viasat were worth $6,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VSAT. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Viasat by 483.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 109,448 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,140,000 after acquiring an additional 90,680 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Viasat by 189.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 452,933 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $4,692,000 after buying an additional 296,612 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $14,443,000 after buying an additional 1,206,935 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $29,866,000 after buying an additional 1,128,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Viasat by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 226,184 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,357,000 after buying an additional 14,575 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Viasat and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Viasat in a report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. New Street Research assumed coverage on shares of Viasat in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $97.00 price target on shares of Viasat in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Garrett L. Chase sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.23, for a total value of $288,920.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,184,162.97. The trade was a 11.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Stenbit sold 616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.46, for a total transaction of $46,483.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,841.64. This trade represents a 49.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 445,819 shares of company stock valued at $29,172,107. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Viasat Trading Down 6.0%

Shares of VSAT stock opened at $81.03 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -337.62 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $72.39 and a 200-day moving average of $60.32. Viasat Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.28 and a 12-month high of $93.03.

Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Viasat had a negative net margin of 0.64% and a positive return on equity of 1.45%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.02) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Viasat Inc. will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Viasat News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viasat this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viasat reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings of $0.17 per share, above the roughly $0.10 consensus estimate and significantly better than the year-ago result. Lower interest expense helped narrow losses and supported the earnings beat. Viasat Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects approximately $180 million of fiscal 2027 free cash flow while maintaining its $950 million-$1 billion capital-expenditure plan. Executives also highlighted record Direct-to-Air (DAT) awards and continued growth opportunities in government, aviation and maritime connectivity. Viasat Free Cash Flow and Capital Expenditure Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Two ViaSat-3 satellites are nearing service, potentially expanding capacity and supporting the company’s next phase of growth. Needham raised its price target to $105 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing the improving outlook. Needham Raises Viasat Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: VSAT has already rallied substantially over the past three months, leaving investors focused on whether ViaSat-3 commercialization and new contracts can justify the higher valuation. Competitive pressures and execution remain important risks. Viasat Rally and Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of approximately $1.16 billion missed the $1.20 billion analyst estimate and declined year over year. The revenue shortfall is likely outweighing the adjusted earnings beat because it raises questions about near-term demand and the pace of growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary following the report characterized the stock as expensive after its recent advance, while the large capital-spending program leaves limited room for execution missteps. Two insiders also sold shares, including a director and a senior vice president, adding a modest negative signal.

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.