77,240 Shares in Versant Corporation $VSNT Acquired by WINTON GROUP Ltd

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired 77,240 shares of Versant Corporation in the second quarter, valued at approximately $2.8 million and representing about 0.06% of the company. Several other major institutional investors also initiated or increased positions.
• Versant reported quarterly EPS of $1.49, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.39, on revenue of $1.64 billion. Shares opened at $37.19, with the stock down 0.5% and trading below its 52-week high of $59.00.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share, equal to a 4.0% annualized yield. Analysts collectively maintain a “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $43.20.

WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 77,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,781,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.06% of Versant as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSNT. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Versant by 3,358.7% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,971,970 shares of the company's stock worth $215,051,000 after buying an additional 5,799,303 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new position in Versant during the first quarter valued at $41,747,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Versant in the 1st quarter worth about $26,331,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Versant in the 1st quarter worth about $25,317,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter worth about $24,475,000.

Versant Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ VSNT opened at $37.19 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.16 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.25. Versant Corporation has a 52 week low of $27.17 and a 52 week high of $59.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts predict that Versant Corporation will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Versant's dividend payout ratio is 43.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSNT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Versant from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $46.00 price target on shares of Versant in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Versant from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Versant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Versant from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Versant currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $43.20.

Versant Company Profile

Versant is a media and entertainment company formed through the separation of Comcast's cable-network and digital-media businesses. The company operates a portfolio of television networks and related platforms that provide news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle programming to audiences in the United States and internationally.

Its brands include USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Syfy, Oxygen and Golf Channel. Versant also has digital and consumer-facing businesses associated with its media portfolio, including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes and Xumo.

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