Empyrean Capital Partners LP Makes New $14.24 Million Investment in Versant Corporation $VSNT

Empyrean Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 384,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,243,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VSNT. Citizens National Bank Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Versant in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Advocate Investing Services LLC purchased a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new stake in Versant in the 1st quarter worth $35,000.

Versant Stock Performance

Shares of VSNT stock opened at $35.88 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.60 and a 200 day moving average of $36.66. Versant Corporation has a 52 week low of $27.17 and a 52 week high of $59.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts expect that Versant Corporation will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st were given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 1st. Versant’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VSNT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Versant from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Arete Research raised Versant from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Versant from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Versant in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.80.

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.