Van ECK Associates Corp Makes New Investment in Versant Corporation $VSNT

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates Corp. acquired 116,199 Versant shares in the second quarter, worth approximately $4.18 million and representing a 0.08% stake. Several other institutional investors also initiated positions.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with one Buy rating and seven Hold ratings. Versant has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $43.20.
• Versant recently exceeded earnings expectations, reporting $1.49 in quarterly EPS versus the $1.39 consensus estimate, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share, implying a 3.7% annualized yield.

Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 116,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,184,000. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.08% of Versant as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VSNT. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new position in Versant during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Advocate Investing Services LLC purchased a new stake in Versant during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in Versant during the first quarter worth about $35,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Arete Research raised shares of Versant from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Versant from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Zacks Research cut shares of Versant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and issued a $46.00 price target on shares of Versant in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $43.20.

Versant Stock Performance

Shares of VSNT opened at $40.97 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion and a PE ratio of 11.77. Versant Corporation has a 1 year low of $27.17 and a 1 year high of $59.00.

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

Versant Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Versant's payout ratio is presently 43.10%.

Versant Company 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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