HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Makes New Investment in Versant Corporation $VSNT

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,000.

Separately, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Versant in the fourth quarter worth about $24,134,000.

Insider Activity at Versant

In other news, Director David C. Novak purchased 143,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.85 per share, for a total transaction of $5,269,550.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 158,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,842,936. The trade was a 919.02% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerald L. Hassell purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $36.07 per share, for a total transaction of $360,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 12,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,367.60. This trade represents a 373.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 154,350 shares of company stock worth $5,679,039 over the last three months. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Versant from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen started coverage on Versant in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research lowered Versant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Versant in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Versant has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.40.

Versant Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of VSNT opened at $42.70 on Wednesday. Versant Corporation has a 12-month low of $27.17 and a 12-month high of $59.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $6.03 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $39.50.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Versant Corporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 1st. Versant’s payout ratio is currently 75.38%.

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.