Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) Stock Has Average Target Price of $42.29

Shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.29.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VSNT shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Versant in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on Versant in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $41.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Versant from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Versant from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of Versant in a report on Friday, September 18th.

Institutional Trading of Versant

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VSNT. State Street Corp acquired a new stake in Versant during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $171,182,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Versant during the 1st quarter worth about $41,747,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Versant during the 1st quarter valued at $26,331,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Versant during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,317,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Versant during the first quarter valued at about $24,475,000.

Versant Stock Performance

Shares of VSNT opened at $31.42 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion and a PE ratio of 9.03. Versant has a 1 year low of $27.17 and a 1 year high of $59.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Versant (NASDAQ:VSNT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Versant will post 4.10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Versant Announces Dividend

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

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.