ViaSat, Inc. (VSAT) Stock Price & How to Invest

Viasat is a satellite communications company that provides broadband internet and secure connectivity from space. It operates geostationary satellites that beam internet to homes, businesses, aircraft, ships, and government and military users in places where terrestrial networks do not reach. Its largest and best-known business is in-flight connectivity (IFC): Viasat provides the Wi-Fi on many commercial airlines. In 2023 it acquired Inmarsat, a major satellite operator, dramatically expanding its global maritime, aviation, and government communications footprint, but also loading the balance sheet with substantial debt. Viasat serves three broad markets: aviation (in-flight Wi-Fi), government and defense (secure, resilient communications and cybersecurity), and commercial fixed and mobile broadband. The company designs its own satellites and ground systems. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Viasat sits in a capital-intensive industry now being disrupted by low-Earth-orbit constellations like SpaceX's Starlink, making its competitive positioning and debt load central to its investment story.

The 2026 picture has shifted from survival toward what the assets might be worth. Viasat finished deploying its ViaSat-3 constellation, signed a binding agreement with UAE-based Space42 to form Equatys, a direct-to-device joint venture targeting up to $1 billion of combined equity and as many as 2,800 satellites, and analysts at Raymond James have flagged a possible review or spin-off of the Defense and Advanced Technologies business. Its L-band spectrum has also drawn attention as SpaceX buys midband spectrum. For the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2026, revenue was ~$1.16 billion (down ~1% year over year) with adjusted EPS of $0.17 against a $0.09 consensus, though GAAP net income was a ~$52 million loss. As of October 16, 2026, VSAT closed near $59.93, up ~59% year to date and ~66% over one year, but down ~22% over the past month after an October sell-off in telecom and satellite names on SpaceX competition fears and a hotter-than-expected inflation report. Fiscal Q2 results are due November 5, 2026.

Viasat's central risk is competition from low-Earth-orbit (LEO) constellations, especially SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper, which offer lower latency and aggressive pricing across aviation, maritime, and consumer broadband, threatening Viasat's geostationary model. The Inmarsat deal left Viasat with a heavy debt load (~$6.9 billion against ~$1.7 billion of cash as of June 2026), so deleveraging depends on synergies and free cash flow that are not guaranteed. Satellites are enormously capital-intensive and carry launch and in-orbit failure risk; Viasat has experienced satellite anomalies that impaired capacity. Consumer fixed broadband is in structural decline against fiber and LEO. The stock is extremely volatile: it has had dozens of daily moves above 5% over the past year, trades in a 52-week range of roughly $29 to $93, and fell ~22% in the month to October 16, 2026, as fears about SpaceX's spectrum purchases hit the sector. Execution on integration, the next-generation ViaSat-3 fleet, and debt reduction all carry meaningful uncertainty.

10 analysts publish price targets on VSAT, averaging $103.94 against a $58.83 price as of October 2026, or +76.7%. The published targets run from $49.00 to $140.00, a wide spread, and the ratings split 9 buy, 2 hold, 0 sell. Over the last six months there have been 3 raises and 0 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full VSAT forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

We give no verdict on ViaSat, Inc.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. In-flight connectivity leadership. Viasat is a leading provider of in-flight Wi-Fi to commercial airlines, with a large installed base and multi-year contracts. The most optimistic published target, $140.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. Viasat's central risk is competition from low-Earth-orbit (LEO) constellations, especially SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper, which offer lower latency and aggressive pricing across aviation, maritime, and consumer broadband, threatening Viasat's geostationary model. The most pessimistic target, $49.00, is roughly what VSAT is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on VSAT, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

No. ViaSat, Inc. (VSAT) has not split its stock in the last 10 years. That is a statement about the window we check rather than about the company’s entire history, so an older split is possible. It also matters less than it once did: fractional shares mean a high price per share no longer keeps smaller investors out, which removed most of the practical reason to split.

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see ViaSat, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.

• Revenue (TTM): ~$4.63 billion, down ~1% year over year in the latest quarter
• EBITDA (TTM): ~$1.39 billion
• Operating margin (TTM): ~4.4%
• Net income (TTM): ~-$29 million (near breakeven)
• Free cash flow (TTM): ~$250 million
• Debt and cash: ~$6.9 billion debt, ~$1.7 billion cash
• EV/EBITDA: ~9.9x
• Market cap: ~$8.3 billion at ~$59.93 per share

As of October 16, 2026, Viasat trades near 1.8 times sales and about 10 times EBITDA, a higher multiple than earlier in the year after the stock rose ~59% in 2026 on ViaSat-3 completion, spectrum value and spin-off speculation. GAAP earnings remain near breakeven and debt is still heavy, so the valuation leans on EBITDA growth and asset value rather than on profits. Bulls view it as an asset-rich turnaround; bears see secular disruption and balance-sheet risk.

If you want VSAT exposure as part of a larger bundle rather than directly, these ETFs hold it meaningfully. Weights are approximate and refresh quarterly.

Other names that sit close to VSAT: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

There are three common ways to get VSAT exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it (AVUV, IJR, IWM), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so VSAT sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where VSAT 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.

New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.

Viasat (VSAT) is a deep-value, asset-rich situation whose case hinges on Inmarsat synergies, steady government revenue, and deleveraging against heavy debt, capital intensity, and satellite risk. In a portfolio it behaves as a volatile, speculative turnaround whose low multiple reflects skepticism about competing with Starlink rather than a stable compounder.

Whether VSAT 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 VSAT a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the VSAT stock forecast.

For income investors, whether VSAT pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does VSAT pay a dividend? And to weigh VSAT against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: VSAT vs AMZN and VSAT vs GEO.