Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Takes $41.75 Million Position in Versant Corporation $VSNT

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors acquired 1.13 million Versant shares worth approximately $41.75 million, giving it a 0.80% stake. Several other institutional investors also initiated positions in the company.
• Analyst sentiment improved, with Arete Research upgrading Versant to “neutral” and Zacks Research raising its rating to “strong buy”; however, the overall consensus remains “Hold” with a $41.80 target price.
• Versant shares opened at $36.82, while the company’s latest quarterly earnings of $1.99 per share exceeded estimates of $1.69. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share, representing a 75.38% payout ratio.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP bought a new stake in Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,127,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,747,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.80% of Versant as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VSNT. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Versant in the fourth quarter worth about $24,134,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Versant during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $795,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Versant during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $646,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of Versant in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, Barclays PLC bought a new stake in shares of Versant in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $112,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VSNT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Arete Research upgraded 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. Zacks Research raised Versant from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Versant from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Versant has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $41.80.

Versant Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of VSNT opened at $36.82 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion and a P/E ratio of 18.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 2.32. Versant Corporation has a one year low of $27.17 and a one year high of $59.00. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $38.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.74.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Versant Corporation will post 4.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 1st. Versant's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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