Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Stock Now Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.00.

Several analysts recently weighed in on VSNT shares. Zacks Research downgraded Versant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Versant from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $43.00 price target on shares of Versant in a report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Versant from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Versant from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th.

Institutional Trading of Versant

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Versant by 110.1% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 70,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,545,000 after purchasing an additional 37,028 shares during the period. State Street Corp acquired a new position in shares of Versant during the second quarter valued at about $171,182,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Versant in the second quarter valued at about $541,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Versant by 1.3% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,027,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Versant during the second quarter worth about $2,781,000.

Versant Stock Up 0.3%

VSNT stock opened at $31.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.38. Versant has a 52-week low of $27.17 and a 52-week high of $59.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $36.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.91.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Versant will post 4.08 EPS for the current year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.3750 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Versant’s dividend payout ratio is 43.10%.

Versant Company Profile

Versant, Inc is a media and entertainment company formed through the separation of certain cable television and digital media assets from Comcast. The company operates a portfolio of entertainment, news, sports and lifestyle brands serving audiences in the United States and internationally through television networks, digital platforms and related content services.

Versant’s portfolio includes USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with digital properties such as Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes.