USS Investment Management Ltd Takes Position in Versant Corporation $VSNT

USS Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 24,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $897,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VSNT. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Versant in the fourth quarter valued at about $24,134,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Versant in the fourth quarter worth about $795,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Versant during the 4th quarter valued at about $646,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of Versant during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. Finally, Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Versant during the 4th quarter valued at about $112,000.

Versant Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSNT opened at $37.95 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $40.16. The company has a market cap of $5.36 billion and a P/E ratio of 19.07. Versant Corporation has a 12-month low of $27.17 and a 12-month high of $59.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts predict that Versant Corporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Versant’s dividend payout ratio is 75.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VSNT. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Versant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price target on shares of Versant in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Versant from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Versant in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.