Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Versant, with seven hold ratings and two buys among nine firms. The average 12-month price target is $43.00, above the reported $31.70 opening price.
• Versant reported quarterly EPS of $1.49, exceeding the $1.39 consensus estimate, on $1.64 billion in revenue. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $4.08.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share, equivalent to $1.50 annually and a 4.7% yield, with a 43.1% payout ratio.

Shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.00.

VSNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Versant from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Versant in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $41.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research lowered Versant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of Versant in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Versant from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th.

Versant Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSNT opened at $31.70 on Thursday. Versant has a 1 year low of $27.17 and a 1 year high of $59.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion and a PE ratio of 9.11. The business's 50 day moving average price is $37.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.33. 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 (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Versant will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.3750 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Versant's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.10%.

Institutional Trading of Versant

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Versant during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Versant in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Versant in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Versant by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,985 shares of the company's stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares in the last quarter.

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.

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