Viasat Jumps as Fresh Analyst Coverage Adds to Defense-Contract Momentum

Viasat (VSAT) is up 23.4% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The most likely driver is a fresh analyst initiation that started the stock at Outperform with a $140 price target, giving traders a new bullish catalyst. The rally may also reflect continued enthusiasm around Viasat’s June 11 U.S. Space Force award and a broader re-rating after several firms lifted targets following late-May results. ([marketbeat.com](https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/viasat-nasdaqvsat-now-covered-by-oppenheimer-2026-06-29/))

Details:

A new Wall Street coverage launch set an Outperform rating and a $140 target, implying substantial upside from the prior close and likely helping drive momentum buying. ([marketbeat.com](https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/viasat-nasdaqvsat-now-covered-by-oppenheimer-2026-06-29/))

On June 11, Viasat said it won a prime contract from the U.S. Space Force to build, launch, and support the first satellite in the PTS-G program’s proliferated mini-GEO fleet. ([investors.viasat.com](https://investors.viasat.com/news-releases/news-release-details/viasat-selected-us-space-force-deliver-dual-band-satellite))

That award includes satellite production, ground stations, operations support, and five years of sustainment services, reinforcing the company’s defense and space-systems positioning. ([investors.viasat.com](https://investors.viasat.com/news-releases/news-release-details/viasat-selected-us-space-force-deliver-dual-band-satellite))

Recent analyst sentiment had already been turning more constructive, with another firm lifting its price target to $93 after the company’s May earnings period, even though those quarterly results were not uniformly strong. ([stockanalysis.com](https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/vsat/?utm_source=openai))

Sources:

Viasat, MarketBeat, Stock Analysis

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$VSAT Insider Trading Activity

$VSAT insiders have traded $VSAT stock on the open market 27 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 27 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VSAT stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

MARK D DANKBERG (Chairman and CEO) has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 500,000 shares for an estimated $29,936,963.
BENJAMIN EDWARD PALMER (SVP, Pres Commercial) has made 0 purchases and 5 sales selling 31,008 shares for an estimated $2,143,452.
RICHARD A BALDRIDGE sold 27,122 shares for an estimated $1,945,732
CRAIG ANDREW MILLER (SVP, Pres Viasat Government) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 40,645 shares for an estimated $1,856,317.
ROBERT JAMES BLAIR (SVP, General Counsel) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 30,411 shares for an estimated $1,430,664.
GARRETT L. CHASE (SVP, Chief Financial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 7 sales selling 13,000 shares for an estimated $714,920.
THERESA WISE sold 2,500 shares for an estimated $172,500
CAMELLIA E FITZGERALD (Chief Accounting Officer) sold 2,810 shares for an estimated $134,880
JOHN P STENBIT sold 653 shares for an estimated $46,846

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative’s insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

$VSAT Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 215 institutional investors add shares of $VSAT stock to their portfolio, and 172 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

CONTOUR ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC added 1,528,068 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $69,985,514
OCO CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P. removed 1,450,000 shares (-24.4%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $66,409,999
AMERICAN CENTURY COMPANIES INC added 1,105,389 shares (+23.9%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $50,626,816
140 SUMMER PARTNERS LP added 907,970 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $41,585,026
DEUTSCHE BANK AG removed 789,307 shares (-67.6%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $36,150,260
DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP added 738,656 shares (+18.2%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $33,830,444
INVESCO LTD. removed 711,101 shares (-33.4%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $24,504,540

To track hedge funds’ stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative’s institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$VSAT Government Contracts

We have seen $262,960,842 of award payments to $VSAT over the last year.

Here are some of the awards which we have have seen pay out the most over the last year:

VIASAT TO16: $66,443,366
AEROSPACE VEHICLE EQUIPMENT AND GROUND OPERATING EQUIPMENT DEVELOPMENT: $33,671,000
VIASAT ESTABLISHMENT OF DELIVERY ORDER 15: $27,803,219
47QFLA25Q0043 VIASAT TO13 USMC: $26,403,818
SOFTWARE LICENSE: $15,432,541

To track government contracts to publicy traded companies, check out Quiver Quantitative’s government contracts dashboard. You can access data on government contracts through the Quiver Quantitative API government contracts endpoint.

$VSAT Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $VSAT stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VSAT stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative’s congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API Congress trades endpoint.

$VSAT Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $VSAT recently. We have seen 4 analysts offer price targets for $VSAT in the last 6 months, with a median target of $69.5.

Here are some recent targets:

Ryan Koontz from Needham set a target price of $90.0 on 06/01/2026
Mike Crawford from B. Riley Securities set a target price of $106.0 on 05/29/2026
Mathieu Robilliard from Barclays set a target price of $49.0 on 04/08/2026
Edison Yu from Deutsche Bank set a target price of $48.0 on 02/09/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative’s disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.