33,238 Shares in Versant Corporation $VSNT Purchased by Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund

Key Points

• Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new stake in Versant Corporation, purchasing 33,238 shares valued at about $1.23 million in the first quarter.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly cautious: Versant now has a consensus rating of Hold with a consensus target price of $40.40, though one firm still rates it a Buy.
• Versant beat earnings expectations last quarter, reporting $1.99 EPS versus the $1.69 estimate, and it also announced a $0.375 per share dividend payable on July 22.

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 33,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,230,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Versant in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advocate Investing Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Versant during the first quarter worth $33,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new position in Versant during the first quarter valued at $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Versant during the first quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in Versant in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Versant in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Versant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised Versant from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $46.00 target price on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Versant has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.40.

Versant Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VSNT opened at $35.39 on Monday. Versant Corporation has a 1-year low of $27.17 and a 1-year high of $59.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock's 50 day moving average is $39.84. The company has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion and a PE ratio of 17.78.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Versant Corporation will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

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

Versant Profile

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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