Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $43.20.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VSNT shares. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a report on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research downgraded Versant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Versant from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Arete Research upgraded Versant from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. 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 on the stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VSNT. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Versant by 3,358.7% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,971,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,051,000 after buying an additional 5,799,303 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,747,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,331,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,317,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the first quarter valued at approximately $24,475,000.

Versant Trading Down 5.8%

Shares of Versant stock opened at $38.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.95. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.09. Versant has a 12-month low of $27.17 and a 12-month high of $59.00.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that Versant will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Versant’s payout ratio is presently 43.10%.

About Versant

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.