Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.40.

Several research analysts have recently commented on VSNT shares. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a research note on Monday, May 18th. 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 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, March 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Versant from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st.

Versant Price Performance

Shares of VSNT stock opened at $43.33 on Friday. Versant has a 1 year low of $27.17 and a 1 year high of $59.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a current ratio of 2.32. The company has a market cap of $6.11 billion and a P/E ratio of 21.77.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Versant will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 1st. Versant’s payout ratio is 75.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Versant news, Director Michael Aaron Conway acquired 1,350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $36.14 per share, for a total transaction of $48,789.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $134,729.92. The trade was a 56.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald L. Hassell acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was acquired 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 approximately $457,367.60. This trade represents a 373.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders bought 154,350 shares of company stock valued at $5,679,039. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in Versant during the fourth quarter valued at $24,134,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Versant in the fourth quarter worth about $795,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new position in Versant during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $646,000. Lewis Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Versant during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $634,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new position in Versant during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $103,000.

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.