Viasat Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:VSAT)

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 3,307 put options on the company. This is an increase of 166% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,243 put options.

Institutional Trading of Viasat

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Viasat by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 51,832 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viasat by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 50,290 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,406,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP raised its position in Viasat by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 13,137 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Viasat by 303.6% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its position in Viasat by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 5,216 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Viasat Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VSAT opened at $14.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Viasat has a 12-month low of $13.80 and a 12-month high of $47.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.67 and a beta of 1.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Viasat from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Viasat from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.00.

Viasat Company Profile

Viasat, Inc provides broadband and communications products and services worldwide. The company's Satellite Services segment offers satellite-based fixed broadband services, including broadband internet access and voice over internet protocol services to consumers and businesses; in-flight entertainment and aviation software services to commercial airlines and private business jets; satellite-based connectivity services; mobile broadband services, including satellite-based internet services to energy offshore vessels, cruise ships, consumer ferries, and yachts; and energy services, which include ultra-secure solutions IP connectivity, bandwidth-optimized over-the-top applications, industrial internet-of-things big data enablement, and industry-leading machine learning analytics.