Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys New Stake in Versant Corporation $VSNT

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 64,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,388,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new stake in Versant during the first quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Krilogy Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter worth approximately $391,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Versant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Webster Bank N. A. bought a new position in shares of Versant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Sterneck Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Versant in the 1st quarter valued at $290,000.

Versant Stock Performance

NASDAQ VSNT opened at $35.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.08 billion and a PE ratio of 18.08. Versant Corporation has a 52 week low of $27.17 and a 52 week high of $59.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 2.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $40.42.

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 forecast that Versant Corporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Versant’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.