This week, satellite broadband-connectivity specialist Viasat's (NASDAQ: VSAT) stock rose like one of its craft vaulting far into the sky. The share price increased by just under 15% during the period, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Investors were encouraged not just by several new contracts signed by the company but also several new and bullish analyst notes.
Viasat was busy signing new deals during the week
It was an eventful and productive few days for Viasat, with the company inking not one, not two, but three new deals.
On Wednesday, Viasat said it had agreed to extend an existing arrangement with Canada-based Porter Airlines. The enhancement will see Viasat in-flight entertainment systems packed into an additional 20 new Embraer passenger aircraft operated by the carrier.
Two days later, the company announced that the U.K. Space Agency (UKSA) and its Asian counterpart the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) agreed to partner on the development of an in-orbit telemetry relay service for spacecraft, InRange. This new deal builds on an existing memorandum of cooperation signed in 2021. InRange will utilize Viasat's satellite network for connectivity.
That same day in a related development, Viasat, U.K.-based space company Skyrora, and consultancy CGI issued a joint press release stating that they had been awarded a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to demonstrate the capabilities of InRange.
The financial particulars of these deals were not provided.
Viasat is now oversold and attractive, an analyst believes
Several analysts weighed in on Viasat during this busy week for the company. One was JPMorgan Chase's Philip Cusick who upgraded his recommendation on the stock to overweight (i.e., buy) from his preceding neutral (although he cut his price target to $30 per share; previously, it was $35).
In a research note, Cusick wrote that management seems focused on being more careful with the company's capital expenditures, and the recent sell-off in the stock "offers an attractive entry point," for investors.
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