LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on LPSN. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on shares of LivePerson from $1.25 to $1.40 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of LivePerson from $0.75 to $1.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of LivePerson from $2.00 to $0.50 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a hold rating on shares of LivePerson in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LivePerson presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $1.32.

LivePerson Stock Up 6.7 %

LivePerson stock opened at $1.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.04, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36. LivePerson has a 52-week low of $0.45 and a 52-week high of $4.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $0.95. The firm has a market cap of $98.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.77 and a beta of 1.78.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Alex Kroman sold 120,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.64, for a total value of $76,830.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO John Deneen Collins sold 83,735 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.12, for a total value of $93,783.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 372,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $417,457.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alex Kroman sold 120,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.64, for a total value of $76,830.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 246,696 shares of company stock valued at $220,795. 9.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LivePerson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Options Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. RPO LLC purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $89,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. boosted its stake in LivePerson by 45.0% in 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 buying an additional 20,627 shares in the last quarter. 79.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About LivePerson

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.