StockNews.com Downgrades Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

VRNT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Verint Systems from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Verint Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verint Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.67.

Verint Systems Price Performance

Verint Systems stock opened at $25.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.96. Verint Systems has a 1 year low of $21.27 and a 1 year high of $38.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Peter Fante sold 16,233 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.52, for a total value of $446,732.16. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 73,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,017,601.28. This trade represents a 18.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Grant A. Highlander sold 12,880 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.25, for a total value of $376,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 117,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,426,257.25. The trade was a 9.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verint Systems

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRNT. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verint Systems by 45.7% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,955 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the period. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Verint Systems by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH now owns 20,012 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Verint Systems by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 35,427 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after buying an additional 1,295 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in Verint Systems by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,380 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 1,449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Verint Systems in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.95% of the company’s stock.

Verint Systems Company Profile

Verint Systems Inc provides customer engagement solutions worldwide. It offers forecasting and scheduling, channels and routing, knowledge management, fraud and security solutions, quality and compliance, analytics and insights, real-time assistance, self-services, financial compliance, and voice pf the consumer solutions.