Verint Systems Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:VRNT)

Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 4,564 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 402% compared to the typical volume of 910 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VRNT. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Verint Systems from $36.00 to $29.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Verint Systems from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Verint Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.33.

Verint Systems Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of VRNT traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $21.16. The stock had a trading volume of 3,316,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 948,415. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.08. Verint Systems has a one year low of $14.15 and a one year high of $37.31.

Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 4th. The technology company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $173.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.61 million. Verint Systems had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 7.66%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verint Systems will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Verint Systems

In other news, insider Peter Fante sold 9,439 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction of $155,743.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 20,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $337,425. This trade represents a 31.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen J. Gold sold 2,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.07, for a total transaction of $44,096.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,561.11. The trade was a 8.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verint Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Verint Systems during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Verint Systems by 148.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,175,147 shares of the technology company's stock worth $38,826,000 after acquiring an additional 1,299,085 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Verint Systems in the 1st quarter valued at $479,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Verint Systems by 6.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,589,770 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,377,000 after buying an additional 93,118 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Verint Systems during the first quarter worth $572,000. 94.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verint Systems

Verint Systems Inc provides customer engagement solutions worldwide. It offers forecasting and scheduling, channels and routing, knowledge management, fraud and security solutions, quality and compliance, analytics and insights, real-time assistance, self-services, financial compliance, and voice pf the consumer solutions.