28,416 Shares in Versant Corporation $VSNT Purchased by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Key Points

• Maryland State Retirement & Pension System disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Versant, buying 28,416 shares valued at about $1.05 million.
• Versant posted better-than-expected quarterly results, reporting EPS of $1.99 versus the $1.69 consensus estimate on revenue of $1.69 billion.
• The company also announced a dividend of $0.375 per share, payable July 22, while analysts currently rate the stock a Hold with an average price target of $40.40.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System bought a new stake in shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 28,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,052,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Versant during the first quarter worth about $26,331,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,134,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,518,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Versant by 3,591.6% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 166,308 shares of the company's stock worth $6,157,000 after buying an additional 161,803 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,478,000.

Versant Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of VSNT stock opened at $36.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.13 billion and a P/E ratio of 18.27. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $39.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Versant Corporation has a 12 month low of $27.17 and a 12 month high of $59.00.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that Versant Corporation will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Versant's payout ratio is presently 75.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VSNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Versant from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research cut Versant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Versant in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, May 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.40.

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.

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