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 research note released on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on LPSN. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of LivePerson in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Craig Hallum increased their target price on shares of LivePerson from $1.25 to $1.40 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of LivePerson from $0.75 to $1.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of LivePerson from $2.00 to $0.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $1.32.

LivePerson Trading Down 3.7 %

NASDAQ LPSN opened at $1.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.16 million, a P/E ratio of -0.72 and a beta of 1.73. 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 $1.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.04.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Monica L. Greenberg sold 34,441 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.12, for a total transaction of $38,573.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 181,607 shares in the company, valued at $203,399.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Alex Kroman sold 120,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.64, for a total transaction of $76,830.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Monica L. Greenberg sold 34,441 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.12, for a total transaction of $38,573.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 181,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $203,399.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 246,696 shares of company stock worth $220,795 over the last ninety days. 9.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LivePerson

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in LivePerson during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Options Solutions LLC purchased a new position in LivePerson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in LivePerson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in LivePerson during the second quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its stake in shares of LivePerson by 45.0% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 66,443 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 20,627 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.83% of the company’s stock.

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.