Strs Ohio Acquires New Position in Versant Corporation $VSNT

Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 67,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,512,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Versant during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $24,134,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Versant in the 4th quarter worth approximately $795,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Versant in the 4th quarter worth approximately $646,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in Versant in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, Barclays PLC purchased a new position in Versant in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $112,000.

Versant Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of VSNT traded up $0.22 on Tuesday, hitting $37.44. 167,464 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,300,608. Versant Corporation has a 1 year low of $27.17 and a 1 year high of $59.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.28 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81. 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 earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter. Research analysts forecast that Versant Corporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Versant Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Versant’s dividend payout ratio is 75.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on VSNT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Versant from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Versant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Versant in a research report on Monday, May 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Versant in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Versant from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Versant has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.40.

Versant Company Profile

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.