Viavi Solutions Inc. $VIAV Shares Acquired by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS raised its stake in shares of Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) by 43.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 307,010 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 93,330 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS owned about 0.12% of Viavi Solutions worth $12,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VIAV. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in Viavi Solutions by 3.6% during the third quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 37,546 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,301 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Viavi Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $214,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Viavi Solutions by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 51,100 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,142,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Viavi Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $675,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in Viavi Solutions by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 20,411 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares in the last quarter. 95.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on VIAV. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Viavi Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Viavi Solutions from $44.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on Viavi Solutions from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Viavi Solutions from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 target price on Viavi Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viavi Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.83.

Viavi Solutions Trading Up 8.3%

Shares of Viavi Solutions stock opened at $28.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.62. Viavi Solutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.51 and a 1 year high of $60.43. The firm has a market cap of $7.00 billion, a PE ratio of 118.63 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.64.

Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $469.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $455.06 million. Viavi Solutions had a net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 25.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 56.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.15 EPS. Analysts expect that Viavi Solutions Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Viavi Solutions

In other Viavi Solutions news, Director Laura A. Black sold 71,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.12, for a total transaction of $3,274,520.00. Following the sale, the director owned 71,497 shares in the company, valued at $3,297,441.64. This trade represents a 49.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul McNab sold 11,032 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.97, for a total value of $429,917.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,639 shares in the company, valued at $999,151.83. The trade was a 30.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 199,694 shares of company stock valued at $7,976,233 over the last ninety days. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Viavi Solutions

Here are the key news stories impacting Viavi Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viavi reported adjusted earnings of $0.47 per share, beating estimates of about $0.40–$0.41 and rising from $0.15 a year earlier; revenue also topped expectations. The company cited strength in data-center and aerospace/defense demand, and expects sequential revenue growth through fiscal 2027, with semiconductor testing adding to its opportunities. Article: VIAV Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Data Center, A&D Strength
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a $500 million share-buyback plan, which could support per-share earnings and signal confidence in its prospects. Article: Viavi announces a $500 million equity buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham cut its price target from $60 to $53 but retained a Buy rating. The lower target is a caution, though the analyst remains constructive. Article: Needham analyst recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: UBS lowered its target from $44 to $33 and moved to Neutral. Although the revised target is still above the quoted $28.47 share price, the cut and less favorable rating could weigh on sentiment. Article: UBS analyst recommendation

Viavi Solutions Company Profile

Viavi Solutions Inc develops testing, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications networks. Its products and software help service providers, equipment makers and enterprises build, maintain and troubleshoot fiber-optic, broadband, wireless and other network infrastructure, including technologies used in 5G and data centers.

The company also makes optical technologies and security products, including features used to authenticate banknotes, identity documents and branded goods.