LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

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

LivePerson Stock Down 3.1 %

NASDAQ:LPSN opened at $1.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.49 million, a P/E ratio of -0.85 and a beta of 1.73. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $0.99. LivePerson has a 1-year low of $0.45 and a 1-year high of $4.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.04, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The technology company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates 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, equities research analysts anticipate that LivePerson will post -0.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LivePerson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPSN. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of LivePerson during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Options Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of LivePerson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in LivePerson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the second quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. lifted 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 in the last quarter. 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.