Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV) Stock Price & How to Invest
Short answer
VIAVI Solutions (VIAV) is a mid-to-large-cap network test-and-measurement and optical technology company that has re-rated sharply on AI-data-center and aerospace-and-defense demand, so investing in it is a bet on that networking and optical cycle continuing rather than on a cheap value name.
VIAV stock price
As of 2026-07-08, Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV) last closed at $40.70, up 293.2% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $9.76 and $55.33.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Viavi Solutions Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV) do?
VIAVI Solutions (NASDAQ: VIAV) makes test, monitoring, and assurance instruments plus optical technologies used to build and secure communications networks, data centers, and military, aerospace, and railway systems. It runs two segments: Network and Service Enablement (NSE), which sells lab and field test gear for fiber, 5G, and high-speed ethernet, and Optical Security and Performance Products (OSP), which supplies anti-counterfeiting pigments for currency and optical filters for consumer electronics and 3D sensing. The company also acquired high-speed ethernet testing assets from Spirent Communications and Inertial Labs in 2025 to deepen its data-center and position-navigation-timing exposure.
The investment picture in 2026 is a growth-and-cyclical-recovery story. After several soft years tied to weak carrier capital spending, revenue re-accelerated as AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, and aerospace-and-defense demand picked up, with the fiscal third quarter of 2026 (ended March 28, 2026) revenue up about 42.8 percent year over year. That has pushed the stock and its valuation up substantially, so the market is pricing in continued strength while the company still carries acquisition-related debt and a GAAP loss on a trailing basis. It pays no dividend.
What's driving Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)?
1. AI and data-center testing demand
The clearest driver is spending on AI infrastructure and hyperscale data centers, which need high-speed ethernet and optical test tools. VIAVI's NSE segment grew about 54 percent year over year in fiscal Q3 2026, and the acquired Spirent high-speed ethernet assets add roughly $200 million in annualized revenue aimed squarely at this market.
2. Aerospace, defense, and PNT
Resilient position, navigation, and timing (PNT) plus aerospace and defense end markets have exceeded the company's own expectations. The Inertial Labs acquisition broadened VIAVI's exposure to navigation and sensing systems used in military and industrial applications, diversifying it away from a reliance on carrier network spending.
3. Margin expansion and cost discipline
Non-GAAP operating margin expanded to about 21 percent in fiscal Q3 2026, up roughly 430 basis points year over year. A fiscal 2026 restructuring plan targets around $30 million in annual operating cost reductions, and management has prioritized paying down acquisition debt, with Fitch and S&P adjusting their credit ratings accordingly.
4. Optical security recovery
The OSP segment, which supplies anti-counterfeiting pigments for banknotes and optical filters for consumer electronics, grew about 11 percent year over year in fiscal Q3 2026. It is a lumpier, program-driven business but provides higher-margin ballast to the faster-moving network test segment.
What are the risks to Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)?
VIAVI's revenue is cyclical and tied to network operator, hyperscaler, and government capital spending, any of which can pause. The stock has re-rated sharply, so a forward P/E in the low 40s (as of July 2026) leaves little room for a demand slowdown. The Spirent and Inertial Labs deals added debt, funded partly by a term loan and convertible notes, so integration missteps or higher rates would pressure the balance sheet even after recent prepayments. GAAP profitability has been negative on a trailing basis, and the OSP segment's program-based orders can swing quarter to quarter.
How is Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV) valued? (approximate, JULY 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Viavi Solutions Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Market cap: ~$9.7B
- Revenue (TTM): ~$1.05B
- Q3 FY2026 revenue: ~$406.8M (+42.8% YoY)
- Q3 FY2026 non-GAAP EPS: ~$0.27
- Forward P/E: ~41x
- Dividend: ~$0 (none)
VIAVI's fiscal third quarter of 2026 (ended March 28, 2026) showed revenue of about $406.8 million, up roughly 42.8 percent year over year, with non-GAAP operating margin near 21 percent. Trailing GAAP earnings have been negative, so the headline valuation leans on forward non-GAAP estimates rather than trailing profits. Q4 FY2026 guidance called for revenue of about $427 million to $437 million.
Which ETFs hold Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)?
If you want VIAV exposure as part of a larger bundle rather than directly, these ETFs hold it meaningfully. Weights are approximate and refresh quarterly.
| ETF | Name | % in VIAV | Expense ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IJR | iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | ~0.7% | 0.06% |
Who competes with Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)?
Communications test and measurement
Keysight Technologies (which absorbed Ixia and part of Spirent), EXFO, Anritsu, and NETSCOUT compete directly in network, fiber, 5G, and assurance testing, the core of VIAVI's NSE segment.
Lab and RF test instrumentation
Rohde and Schwarz and the broader Keysight and Anritsu portfolios overlap in RF, wireless, and Open RAN test, where VIAVI sells lab and conformance tools alongside its field instruments.
Optical components and security
In the OSP segment, VIAVI competes with specialty optical-coating and pigment suppliers and 3D-sensing filter makers serving anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, and automotive customers, a narrower field than the crowded test market.
How to invest in Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)
There are three common ways to get VIAV exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it (IJR), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so VIAV sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where VIAV fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
The bottom line on Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)
VIAV is a real, profitable (on a non-GAAP basis) infrastructure-test business riding an AI and data-center tailwind, priced for continued double-digit growth after a strong 2026 run.
More on Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV)
Whether VIAV is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is VIAV a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the VIAV stock forecast.
For income investors, whether VIAV pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does VIAV pay a dividend?
Build a basket around VIAV with Walnut
Use Viavi Solutions Inc. as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
What does VIAVI Solutions do?
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VIAVI makes test, monitoring, and assurance instruments for communications networks and data centers, plus optical technologies such as anti-counterfeiting pigments for currency and filters for consumer electronics. It reports two segments: Network and Service Enablement and Optical Security and Performance Products.
Is VIAV a real, operating US company?
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Yes. VIAVI Solutions is a NASDAQ-listed company with about $1.05 billion in trailing revenue and a market cap near $9.7 billion as of July 2026. It has global operations across network test, optical security, and navigation and timing products.
Why has VIAV stock risen so much?
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Revenue re-accelerated in 2026 on demand from AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, and aerospace and defense. Fiscal Q3 2026 revenue rose about 42.8 percent year over year, with margin expansion, which drove the stock and its valuation higher.
Does VIAVI pay a dividend?
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No. VIAVI does not currently pay a dividend, so any return depends on share-price appreciation. The company has instead prioritized paying down debt taken on for its 2025 acquisitions.
What did VIAVI acquire from Spirent?
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In 2025 VIAVI acquired Spirent's high-speed ethernet testing assets and separately acquired Inertial Labs. The Spirent assets add roughly $200 million in annualized revenue and strengthen VIAVI's position in the data-center testing market.
Who are VIAVI's main competitors?
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In test and measurement, the main rivals are Keysight Technologies, EXFO, Anritsu, NETSCOUT, and Rohde and Schwarz. In optical security and performance products, it competes with specialty optical-coating and pigment suppliers.
Is VIAV expensive?
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By some measures, yes. Its forward P/E sat in the low 40s as of July 2026, and trailing GAAP earnings were negative, so the valuation relies on continued growth. Whether that is justified depends on the durability of AI and data-center demand.
What are the biggest risks to VIAV?
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The main risks are cyclical demand tied to network, hyperscaler, and government spending, a rich valuation that leaves little margin for a slowdown, acquisition-related debt, negative trailing GAAP profitability, and lumpy program-based orders in the optical security segment.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Viavi Solutions Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.