Key Points
- CEO Pete Smith sold 17,086 shares on Feb. 9 at an average price of $26.33 for about $449,874, reducing his stake by 4.55% (disclosed in an SEC filing).
- Aviat beat the quarter with EPS $0.54 vs. $0.48 and revenue $111.47M vs. $109.67M, spurring broker upgrades and a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $34.80.
- The stock has a market cap of roughly $336.6M, a one‑year range of $15.80–$27.02, and about 78.6% institutional ownership, with several funds materially increasing positions—providing demand support despite insider selling.
Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW - Get Free Report) CEO Pete Smith sold 17,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total value of $449,874.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 358,747 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,445,808.51. This trade represents a 4.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Aviat Networks Price Performance
Aviat Networks stock opened at $26.09 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $21.96 and its 200 day moving average is $22.44. Aviat Networks, Inc. has a one year low of $15.80 and a one year high of $27.02. The firm has a market cap of $336.56 million, a P/E ratio of 23.29 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.56.
Aviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $111.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.67 million. Aviat Networks had a net margin of 3.27% and a return on equity of 10.71%. As a group, research analysts expect that Aviat Networks, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.
Aviat Networks News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Aviat Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and revenue upside in the most recent quarter — Aviat reported $0.54 EPS vs. $0.48 expected and revenue of $111.5M vs. $109.7M consensus, showing operating momentum and supporting higher analyst targets. MarketBeat earnings & analyst coverage
- Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment tilted positive: multiple firms reiterated Buy/Outperform ratings and raised price targets (B. Riley, Citizens Jmp, Roth MKM among others), producing a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a multi‑analyst average target well above the current price — a tailwind for shares. Analyst note
- Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: several funds materially increased positions in Q4 (Western Standard, Weber Capital, Hotchkis & Wiley, First Wilshire, Kennedy Capital), indicating conviction from large investors and supporting mid/long‑term demand. Institutional holdings
- Neutral Sentiment: Short interest report is effectively zero/blank for the period provided (data shows 0 shares and NaN change), so short activity is not a clear driver of today's move. (Data appears unreliable or not applicable.)
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives: CEO Pete A. Smith sold 17,086 shares at ~$26.33 on Feb 9 (SEC filing), and SVP Gary Croke sold 6,914 shares at ~$26.20 on Feb 6 — these disclosed sales reduce insider holdings and can be perceived negatively by the market. CEO Form 4 SVP Form 4
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst reduced Q3 EPS estimates — lowering near‑term earnings expectations can pressure sentiment even with recent beats. Q3 estimate cut article
Analysts Set New Price Targets
AVNW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Aviat Networks from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Aviat Networks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm cut their target price on Aviat Networks from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Aviat Networks in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Aviat Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aviat Networks has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.80.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AVNW
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aviat Networks
Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Comerica Bank grew its position in Aviat Networks by 40.2% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,720 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Aviat Networks by 290.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 40,874 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $783,000 after buying an additional 30,413 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aviat Networks by 20.6% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 84,954 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $1,629,000 after buying an additional 14,498 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aviat Networks by 6.9% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 26,070 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $500,000 after buying an additional 1,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aviat Networks during the second quarter valued at about $170,000. 78.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Aviat Networks
(
Get Free Report)
Aviat Networks, Inc is a specialist in wireless transport solutions, designing, manufacturing and selling microwave networking products that enable the secure and reliable transmission of data, voice and video. The company's offerings address mission-critical communications needs for a broad range of end markets, including telecommunications service providers, utilities, government agencies and enterprises. Its product portfolio spans high-capacity packet microwave radios, IP transport systems and network management software.
Aviat's core product lines include the WTM series of packet microwave platforms, which deliver scalable throughput and advanced resilience features, and the Eclipse packet microwave systems, which combine broadband capacity with synchronization, security and quality-of-service capabilities.
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