LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1.32.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Craig Hallum boosted their price target on LivePerson from $1.25 to $1.40 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LivePerson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of LivePerson from $0.75 to $1.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

LivePerson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPSN opened at $1.06 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $93.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.74 and a beta of 1.78. LivePerson has a 12 month low of $0.45 and a 12 month high of $4.71. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.04.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The technology company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $79.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.62 million. LivePerson had a negative net margin of 24.23% and a negative return on equity of 101.10%. As a group, analysts predict that LivePerson will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at LivePerson

In related news, CFO John Deneen Collins sold 85,126 shares of LivePerson stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.05, for a total value of $89,382.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 287,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $301,984.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Monica L. Greenberg sold 34,441 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.12, for a total value of $38,573.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 181,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,399.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO John Deneen Collins sold 85,126 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.05, for a total value of $89,382.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 287,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $301,984.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 211,775 shares of company stock valued at $233,347 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LivePerson

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LPSN. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in LivePerson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Options Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of LivePerson during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in LivePerson during the second quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its stake in LivePerson by 45.0% during the first quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 66,443 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 20,627 shares during the period. 79.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LivePerson Company Profile

LivePerson, Inc engages in conversational artificial intelligence. It enables brands to leverage the Conversational Cloud's intelligence engine to connect with consumers through an integrated suite of mobile and online business messaging technologies. The company offers the Conversational Cloud, an enterprise-class digital customer conversation platform, which enables businesses and consumers to connect through conversational channels, such as voice, in-app, and mobile messaging.