Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) came out with its second-quarter results last week, and we wanted to see how the business is performing and what industry forecasters think of the company following this report. Revenues of US$1.1b arrived in line with expectations, although statutory losses per share were US$0.45, an impressive 33% smaller than what broker models predicted. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. We've gathered the most recent statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their earnings models, following these results.

Taking into account the latest results, Viasat's nine analysts currently expect revenues in 2026 to be US$4.67b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. The loss per share is expected to greatly reduce in the near future, narrowing 63% to US$1.42. Before this earnings announcement, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$4.67b and losses of US$1.98 per share in 2026. Although the revenue estimates have not really changed Viasat'sfuture looks a little different to the past, with a very promising decrease in the loss per share forecasts in particular.

These new estimates led to the consensus price target rising 39% to US$36.25, with lower forecast losses suggesting things could be looking up for Viasat. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. There are some variant perceptions on Viasat, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$52.00 and the most bearish at US$12.00 per share. As you can see the range of estimates is wide, with the lowest valuation coming in at less than half the most bullish estimate, suggesting there are some strongly diverging views on how analysts think this business will perform. As a result it might not be a great idea to make decisions based on the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that Viasat's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 3.6% annualised growth rate until the end of 2026 being well below the historical 19% p.a. growth over the last five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 10% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Viasat is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts reconfirmed their loss per share estimates for next year. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analysts clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Viasat going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here..

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.