Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.31 EPS

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.31, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter.

Here are the key takeaways from Versant’s conference call:

• 2026 outlook reaffirmed, with revenue expected at $6.2 billion–$6.45 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of $1.9 billion–$2.05 billion; free cash flow is now expected to exceed the prior $1.0 billion–$1.2 billion forecast.
• Versant completed four major distribution renewals on favorable terms, with 75% of network subscribers contracted through 2028 or beyond, improving visibility despite ongoing pay-TV subscriber declines.
• Platforms revenue increased 10% year over year, or 17% excluding the SportsEngine divestiture and Full Swing acquisition, led by Fandango ticketing and GolfNow; the company also reported encouraging early results from Fandango AVOD and MS NOW direct-to-consumer.
• Third-quarter revenue fell 4% to $1.59 billion and Adjusted EBITDA declined 7% to $353 million, primarily because of pay-TV pressure and sports-rights timing. Fourth-quarter EBITDA will face higher programming costs from four additional NASCAR races, although management characterized this as a one-time impact.
• Versant returned $457 million to shareholders year to date through dividends and repurchases and announced an additional $100 million accelerated share repurchase for the fourth quarter, supported by approximately $1 billion in cash and an undrawn $750 million revolver.

Versant Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:VSNT opened at $32.34 on Tuesday. Versant has a fifty-two week low of $27.17 and a fifty-two week high of $59.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $34.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $4.49 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.29.

Versant Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st were issued a $0.3750 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. Versant’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on VSNT. Zacks Research raised shares of Versant from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Citigroup started coverage on Versant in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $41.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Versant from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Versant in a report on Thursday, October 15th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Arete Research upgraded Versant from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.29.

Versant Company Profile

Versant, Inc (NASDAQ: VSNT) is a media and entertainment company formed from selected cable television and digital assets formerly owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal division. The company develops, produces, distributes and markets entertainment, news, sports and lifestyle content across television networks and digital platforms.

Versant’s portfolio includes USA Network, E!, SYFY, Oxygen, Golf Channel and related digital properties. Its assets also include Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, which provide movie-ticketing, entertainment information and media-review services.