Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,032,289 shares, a growth of 139.3% from the April 30th total of 1,684,705 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,134,388 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 3.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael Aaron Conway bought 1,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $36.14 per share, with a total value of $48,789.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,728 shares in the company, valued at $134,729.92. This represents a 56.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald L. Hassell bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $36.07 per share, with a total value of $360,700.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,367.60. This represents a 373.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have bought 154,350 shares of company stock worth $5,679,039. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Versant

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VSNT. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of Versant in the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,134,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Versant during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $795,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Versant during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $646,000. Lewis Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Versant in the first quarter worth $634,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in Versant in the first quarter worth $103,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VSNT. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, May 18th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, March 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Versant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Versant in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Versant has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.40.

Versant Price Performance

Shares of Versant stock opened at $43.12 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Versant has a one year low of $27.17 and a one year high of $59.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $39.82. The stock has a market cap of $6.09 billion and a PE ratio of 21.67.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Versant will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Versant’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.38%.

About Versant

Versant Corporation is a provider of data management software. The Company designs, develops, markets and supports database management system products that companies use to solve data management and data integration issues. It also provides related product support, training and consulting services to assist users of the Company’s products in developing and deploying software applications based on its products. The Company’s Versant Object Database product is used primarily by enterprises, which have data management requirements, such as technology providers, telecommunications carriers, Government defense agencies, defense contractors, healthcare companies and companies in the financial services and transportation industries.