Aviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW) CEO Pete Smith Sells 17,086 Shares

by · The Markets Daily

Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW – Get Free Report) CEO Pete Smith sold 17,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total transaction of $449,874.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 358,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,445,808.51. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Aviat Networks Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of AVNW opened at $26.09 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Aviat Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $27.02. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.96 and its 200-day moving average is $22.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $336.56 million, a PE ratio of 23.29 and a beta of 0.96.

Aviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.06. Aviat Networks had a return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 3.27%.The business had revenue of $111.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.67 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Aviat Networks, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AVNW. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Aviat Networks in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aviat Networks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price target (up previously from $35.00) on shares of Aviat Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of Aviat Networks in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Aviat Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.80.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Aviat Networks

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aviat Networks

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Comerica Bank increased 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 acquiring an additional 780 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Aviat Networks by 290.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 40,874 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $783,000 after purchasing an additional 30,413 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 14,498 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,683 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Aviat Networks during the 2nd quarter worth $170,000. 78.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aviat Networks News Summary

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

Aviat Networks Company Profile

(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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