LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $0.88.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LivePerson from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research report on Thursday.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 84,944 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.85, for a total transaction of $72,202.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LivePerson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in LivePerson by 42.0% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 906,027 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 267,827 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in LivePerson by 146.1% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 73,794 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 43,804 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in LivePerson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $152,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.83% of the company’s stock.

LivePerson Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ LPSN opened at $0.93 on Monday. LivePerson has a 12-month low of $0.45 and a 12-month high of $2.08. The company has a market capitalization of $84.38 million, a PE ratio of -0.61 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.14.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The technology company reported ($1.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($1.23). LivePerson had a negative net margin of 18.72% and a negative return on equity of 111.48%. The business had revenue of $73.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.12 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.06) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that LivePerson will post -0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.