Verint Systems Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:VRNT)

Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 4,564 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 402% compared to the average daily volume of 910 call options.

Verint Systems Stock Performance

Shares of VRNT stock opened at $21.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.43. Verint Systems has a one year low of $14.15 and a one year high of $37.31. The company’s 50-day moving average is $18.02 and its 200 day moving average is $21.14.

Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 4th. The technology company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $173.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $194.61 million. Verint Systems had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 7.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Verint Systems will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VRNT. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Verint Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Verint Systems from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Verint Systems from $36.00 to $29.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verint Systems

In other Verint Systems news, insider Peter Fante sold 9,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $155,743.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $337,425. This represents a 31.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen J. Gold sold 2,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.07, for a total transaction of $44,096.08. Following the sale, the director owned 28,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,561.11. This trade represents a 8.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verint Systems

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Verint Systems by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 87,780 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 6,007 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Verint Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $5,276,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verint Systems by 14,079.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,403 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 3,379 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Verint Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $321,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Verint Systems by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 639,234 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $17,547,000 after buying an additional 9,361 shares in the last quarter. 94.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Verint Systems

Verint Systems Inc provides customer engagement solutions worldwide. It offers forecasting and scheduling, channels and routing, knowledge management, fraud and security solutions, quality and compliance, analytics and insights, real-time assistance, self-services, financial compliance, and voice pf the consumer solutions.