Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Purchases Shares of 35,951 Versant Corporation $VSNT

Key Points

• Institutional buying was the main headline, with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS taking a new stake of 35,951 Versant shares worth about $1.33 million in Q1. Several other hedge funds and asset managers also added positions.
• Versant shares were down 1.2% to $35.90, still trading below their 12-month high of $59.00 but above the low of $27.17. The company has a market cap of about $5.07 billion and a PE ratio of 18.04.
• Fundamentals and analyst views were mixed: Versant beat Q1 earnings expectations with $1.99 EPS versus $1.69 expected, and it declared a $0.375 quarterly dividend. Wall Street’s consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $41.80.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS acquired a new stake in Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 35,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,331,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VSNT. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in Versant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $270,000. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in Versant in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,746,000. Van Cleef Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Versant in the first quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Versant during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,043,000. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS bought a new position in shares of Versant in the first quarter worth approximately $293,000.

Versant Trading Down 1.2%

NASDAQ VSNT opened at $35.90 on Friday. Versant Corporation has a 12 month low of $27.17 and a 12 month high of $59.00. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $39.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion and a PE ratio of 18.04.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) last released 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, analysts forecast that Versant Corporation will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders 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 currently 75.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VSNT shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Versant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. 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 report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Versant in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $41.80.

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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