Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Stock Has Average Target Price of $43.00 According to Brokerages

Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.00.

VSNT has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a report on Friday, September 18th. 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 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Versant from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Versant in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $41.00 price target for the company.

Versant Price Performance

Shares of VSNT stock opened at $30.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.23. Versant has a one year low of $27.17 and a one year high of $59.00. The company has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion and a P/E ratio of 8.89.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Versant will post 4.08 EPS for the current year.

Versant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.3750 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Versant’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Versant

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp purchased a new position in shares of Versant during the 2nd quarter valued at about $171,182,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Versant in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,747,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Versant in the first quarter worth about $26,331,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Versant in the first quarter worth about $25,317,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Versant during the first quarter worth about $24,475,000.

About Versant

Versant, Inc is a media and entertainment company formed through the separation of certain cable television and digital media assets from Comcast. The company operates a portfolio of entertainment, news, sports and lifestyle brands serving audiences in the United States and internationally through television networks, digital platforms and related content services.

Versant’s portfolio includes USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with digital properties such as Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes.