Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.40.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, May 18th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, March 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Versant in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Versant from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st.

Versant Price Performance

VSNT stock opened at $41.51 on Friday. Versant has a 1-year low of $27.17 and a 1-year high of $59.00. The company has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.96.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Versant will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Versant Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Versant

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

Institutional Trading of Versant

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VSNT. Citizens National Bank Trust Department purchased a new stake in Versant during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Advocate Investing Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000.

Versant Company Profile

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.